Someone to Believe
by Covette Blue
Summary: A human girl is kidnapped by a group of demons who claim she's the answer to an accidentlydestroyed legend. When the portals collapse and the YYH gang become stuck with her, however, things are going to change for good. Rated for language.
1. American Girl

'Someone to Believe'  
SapphireRose

Disclaimer: All of the characters (except Rebecca Wallace) belong to Yoshiro Togashi, Studio Pierrot, Fuji T.V., Shounen Jump - basically, anyone but me. Yes, the title of this story is a song by the Damn Yankees, but it's not a songfic. The plot's mine too, just so we're all clear. THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES TO THE ENTIRE STORY. If there's one thing that bugs me, it's disclaimer this and disclaimer that.

* * *

Here are a few notes about my story that might help clear a few things up. 

1) I'm trying really hard to not make this a Mary Sue. I hate Mary Sue's and Carrie Lou's. 

2) It's almost a self-insertion fic, but not really; I'm not really this weird all the time in real life, as my character is portrayed to be. 

3) Okay, how I do Genkai's temple in most of YYH fanfictions is this: It in itself is one of the gateways between the Ningenkai and Makai. I used my creative imagination (*cough!!*) to say that the only way to get to the Ningenkai is to enter the back door of the temple and exit through the front. I mean, you can't just walk around it and be in the Ningenkai or whatever. It's like it sits on a line, and that line goes through the middle of the temple horizontally. 

Confused? I know I am! @.@ 

4) The summary flat-out sucks. If anyone has a really good idea for it, let me know, and I'll change it. 

5) This is set, like, DIRECTLY after the first Dark Tournament. Right after as in, forget episode 67 and everything that comes after it, because the first chapter of this story IS episode 67. (More or less because, unfortuneatly, all I've seen are dubs on Cartoon Network and haven't quite figured out the rest of the series. Hell, who am I kidding; I haven't even seen all of D.T. episodes!! *pulls out hair*) That should be it, and I'll add something if I think of it or keep getting asked the same questions. 

* * *

I pushed against the screen in a gentle upward motion and felt it shift slightly. I dropped my right hand and put my palm against the bottom of the screen and lifted it the rest of the way up. I let my left hand off of it and cupped them beneath the white plastic, waiting to see if it would fall. After a few moments it hadn't, so I leaned my elbows on the outer windowsill and leaned out my window, staring up at the dark sky. I could only see a few stars since we were in the city. _A dirty city, at that_(1), I thought scornfully. Scowling to myself, I remembered a time when I had wanted to be here. Of course, I had never thought my stay would've been permanent, either. 

I glanced over my shoulder at the familiar Crayola digital clock positioned by my waterbed, a child's toy, really, that I had gotten from my grandmother as a moving present when I was seven years old. After eight years and several crashes, the little clock was hard for even my dad to set, and the blue border around the tiny display screen was attached solely by tape after my sister had dropped it. At the moment, the glowing red digits read eleven fifty-nine. 

To be perfectly honest, I should've been in bed; tomorrow was another school day. I turned my attention back out the window just in time to see a shooting star. My usually lax eyebrows rose slightly, and I made the wish I had wished for the past four months on the first star of the evening. "Let my life-" the grandmother clock down the hall struck midnight, "change for the better," I whispered softly. The loud chimes and bells continued to ring twelve times. 

I stayed up for nearly an hour just listening to the still-bustling city. I had half a mind to crawl out my window and go walk around town. I glanced down at myself and smirked. I was still wearing my clothes from the previous day, a worn pair of light blue jeans and a greenish shirt that said something about being a smart alec. That type of clothes wasn't popular here, but I was past the point of caring. I wouldn't get lost, even though we had only lived in this hellhole for a few months; I had an excellent sense of direction and memory. As my mind decided this, I felt my muscles tense and stretch forwards, but I quickly deterred from the action and sat back down on my toy chest. I wasn't stupid. 

Instead, I busied myself with thinking about the peculiar incident that had happened to me today in one of the city's many parks. I had been walking the path, minding my own business, when I had seen something glimmering in the forest. No one else seemed to see it, so I had trudged through the woods, braving poison ivy and oak with my sandaled feet, to see the shiny thing. Maybe it was worth something; one never knows. When I reached the small clearing, I saw that it was... 

**~Flashback~   
I snorted. It was a disc made of oyster-shell with a few inscriptions that I didn't bother to read on it. I knelt down and picked it up and was on my way back to the path when someone jumped down in front of me. Yay. Red eyes the color of blood leered in my own dangerously. With his attention on my face, I tucked the oyster shell into the flat of my palm and nonchalantly slipped my hands into my pockets, releasing it there. My face was blank of all emotions. It usually was. **

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a low, angry voice. He didn't seem normal, somehow; almost like he wasn't human or something. 'Ch, right. I was letting my imagination run away with me. 

"Looking at something," I said flatly. 

He squinted at me suspiciously. "What?" 

"Something." 

"I said, what?" 

"Something," I said again. 

With a faint shing, I found myself staring down my nose at cold metal poking my throat. Wow. I thought those things were illegal. Why not use a gun? _Of course, when you have a gun pointed at your neck, you can always assume there aren't any bullets in it and stand a fifty-fifty chance of being right, while with a sword, you can tell when it's prodding you whether or not it's sharp_ - oh. Me and me ever-rambling thoughts. The guy was talking. 

"I'll only ask you one more time, _human_," he spat. Hey! What was _that_ supposed to mean? Wait. That kind of a jeer could only mean one thing – he wasn't human! Which meant _I_ was right. Score! "What were you looking at?" 

What if this was some sort of test? I mean, if I saw the oyster-shell thing (and no one else had, mind you), what if I was a savior? Or worse yet, an abomination of human kind? Well, if I was a savior, he wouldn't kill me if he needed me. Even if he didn't need me, he'd kill me right away. I mean, really, why torture a person when they stand the chance of escaping and doing what you don't want them to do anyway? If I was an abomination, well by all means, kill me! I didn't like people and I hated kids, but the world already had enough troubles without me trying to destroy it. I wasn't afraid of death. I was even curious about it, though only dumb enough to try to commit suicide once. I wasn't crazy. 

Knowing all this, I said calmly, emotionlessly, "Something." 

He stared at me. 

I stared at him. 

He disappeared. 

I resumed walking and didn't go home until after dark.  
~End Flashback~

I sighed; it was almost one thirty in the morning. I shut my screen and crawled back onto my bed, not bothering even at the late hour to change into pajamas. I rolled over onto my side and hugged my stuffed rabbit, Fufu, tightly to me, along with my two blankies, which were actually the same blanket cut in two. These three things were the only things I could rely on to stay the same, even though one of my blanket squares was about ready to fall apart. I snuggled into my childish comfort and counted in a droll one-two pattern the ticking of my clocks to lull myself to sleep. 

*

Even though I denied it and often faked sleeping through everything, I was an extremely light sleeper. So of course the sound of someone else stepping on my squeaky toy chest woke me up. I mean, I'm the only one who knew where to sit and lean to avoid making noise, so it was someone else. I opened my left eye and stared at the toy chest just in time to see a pair of red eyes shine from the city light. I sat up slightly. "Not you again," I mumbled, grabbing my glasses. I blinked rapidly as the figure was right before me and held my glasses a bit more tightly. 

He glared at me, and I glared back. I could see light coming through my window, so it was somewhere near five in the morning. My weak eyes suddenly saw his fist move, and the last thing I remember was a little voice telling me that this was going to hurt. 

*

"So, what's this 'emergency meeting' for, pacifier-breath?" Yusuke asked, stretching idly. 

Koenma glared at him. "One, I am not a 'pacifier-breath.' Two, the reason you have been called here is that there has been a kidnapping of a human girl. The problem is, she's a regular human girl. She's not half-demon like you or Kurama, isn't spiritually aware like Kuwabara, and doesn't have any special abilities besides appearing extremely sarcastic." 

"Like Keiko," the boy muttered. 

"Not like Keiko. She's not associated with any Makai or Earth figures. Keiko can be targeted and used for ransom because she's associated with you. This girl is one hundred percent regular." He paused and glanced over the three males in his presence. "I need you to find out why the girl has been kidnapped, rescue her, and return her to the human world." 

"What's her name, anyway? That might narrow down our search," Yusuke pointed out. 

"Her- you're late," the godling accused as Hiei suddenly appeared. The fire demon scowled at him but said nothing. "Her name is Rebecca Wallace." Yusuke and Kuwabara stared at him blankly. 

"Come again?" 

"Rebecca Wallace. It's a western name," Kurama explained to Yusuke. 

"You know, Yusuke, if you're so baffled, you could always ask her when you find her," Koenma said pointedly. 

"Right. Let's go find her!" 

* * *

(1) - Nothing against this place (which you'll find out soon enough!). Really. Think. If you were forced to move somewhere, wouldn't you be scornful too? I know I was when I moved to my current town.

Yeah, Becca's based on me. In fact, that's my nick-name. She's just like me. *ruffles character's hair*

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know. However, unless it's extremely constructive criticisim (_I'll_ be the judge of that!), flames will be printed, handed out, laughed out and flamed.


	2. Lord Koji

**SEPTEMBER 1, 7:40 P.M.: I just figured out FF.net cut out one of my sentences in the first paragraph. Put it in and an explanation to the straw thing. (^.~)**

^.^ I got reviews! *waves little flag* So, it's only two, but hey, maybe there's more of you out there that are too lazy to review. Nyyyah! 

Oh, and kiyoshi-neko, yes, there is such a thing as a grandmother clock. They're a lot littler than grandfather clocks; maybe six feet tall and a foot wide...I'm too lazy to go measure it. ^^; (Kind of a hypocrite, aren't I...?) It _would_ be cool, but it rings every fifteen minutes. It took me six months to get used to it. >.Thanks, Shannon; I true to keep characters IC in my stories, even though that doesn't always happen... ;;>.> 

Thank you to both of my wonderful reviewers and readers! 

Now, normally, I'm not this nice, but I'm hyped up from helping my friend work on her new car and watching some of 'Moulin Rouge.' I shouldn't be this happy, considering I'm making a 59% in geometry and report cards come out in two weeks, buuut...oh well. 

* * *

_I_ barely even knew I was awake when a chilling male voice said softly, "So, you're awake, little one." I was fifteen years old! I was _not_ little! Well...okay...so I was short...but I wasn't little! 

I glared as I opened my eyes and was surprised to feel my glasses resting lightly on my nose and ears. _Hmph. Cheeky bastard_. My neck ached, and I vaguely remembered a friend of mine telling me about a pressure point that could render a person unconcious being located there. I suddenly realized I was on my knees on stone, and two figures stood on either side of me holding my arms. 'Ch, like I was going anywhere? 

"You're probably wondering why you're here." _Noo, really?_ "An agent of mine told me that you saw the reflection of the sun on a shell." _And?_ "A legend long speaks of a person who is able to see the reflection of light even on a surface tainted by darkness." _Huh?_ "However, we have not been able to decipher the rest of the legend, so we don't know what purpose you serve in any of the three worlds." _What?_ "So, until then, you will be kept in our dungeons." _Oookay._

I stared at the man blankly. Well, not man. He was like his little agent - obviously not human. His skin was sort of like an oyster shell or a pearl; it glowed different colors under the light, and he was too pretty. So pretty it was sickening. His hair was white, eyes were a deep, not dark, blue. He wore a white tunic with white slippers. He was also wearing enough jewelry to make the queen of England jealous and held a long metal rod in his right jeweled hand. _Maybe if he stands outside, he'll get hit by lightning_... 

His blue eyes peered into my own grey-blue-green, and they narrowed slightly. Apparently my cynical and mocking thoughts were showing. "I know you're not stupid, girl. You had enough guts and mind to hold your own against my agent, and no one holds their own against him. We'll figure out who you are soon enough, and until that day, you better be hoping you're important to our cause." 

Not only was I smart enough not to retort 'My name is Rebecca Wallace,' I also didn't ask what his almighty cause was, his name, or what the hell he meant by three worlds. Instead, I decided to pretend as though I knew who I was and smirked ever so slightly, the kind of snot-assed type of smirk that got you in trouble with parents and teachers alike. _I'll never te-ll_... 

He looked at me then as though I suddenly had his interest, but didn't pursue his curiosity. "Take her to her cell," he said loftily. 

"Yes, Lord Koji," the two men holding my arms said in unison. 

_Koji? What kind of a name is that?_ I wondered faintly as I was hauled to my feet. By the look on pearl-boy's face, I could tell he thought it was a good one. With each guard holding onto my upper arm, they marched and I shuffled-just-so-they-couldn't-march to my new home. They put me in the cell, turned, marched out, and slammed the door shut behind them. 

"Have a nice day!" I yelled after them, then blushed faintly and snorted. 

Man. I was being so stupid. 

But, as I stared at the medium-sized stone cell, I felt my self-importance bluff fade. I was beginning to wonder whether or not I should be worried about my predicament. They had been 'kind' enough to provide me with a bed probably filled with fleas, a large pile of straw, a chamber pot, and a barred window so high up I would have to jump just to get my fingers on the sill. I walked over to the bed even as fear made me look around uncertainly. I poked at the mattress, fluffed the blanket, and beat the pillow, but there was no sign of fleas or any insect at all, as far as pests were concerned. 

_Well, no matter_, I decided as I sat on it. I felt something slip against my wrist and jumped before looking warily at it. It was my watch! And it still worked! Holy cow-wow! I stared at it in disbelief in the dim light of the cell. It was seven o' clock in the morning, which meant the neck-thing had knocked me out for nearly two hours. 

I was the most untrusting person I'd ever met, so even though I'd only had three and a half hours of sleep, I sat on that lumpy bed for nearly a day and a half before falling asleep. In that time I found myself working on stories I was writing in my head, thinking about my life, and wondering how in the world (there aren't three of them, buddy!) I was going to get out this place. 

I was given a small loaf of bread, a ball of cheese, and a pitcher of water twice a day. I was by no means fat; I could wear anywhere from a size four to seven in women's jeans and weighed around a hundred ten pounds, but I had stomach blubber that I absolutely hated. I was escatic; I'd finally be able to loose all those inches I'd been trying to get rid of for the past year! 

*

"Hey, lady! Breakfast!" a snarling, deep voice bellowed. 

I gasped and started, then winced as I realized I'd fallen asleep sitting up. I thought quickly as I got up and walked to a chute my food was slid through. A quick glance at my watch said eight thirty. The last time I had looked at my watch was nine o' clock at night. That meant I had either slept all night or slept for a day and a night. Crap. Yeah, but there again, that voice would wake even my dad in its first syllable, so I was sure I would've heard it before. 

"Hnnm," I mumbled around my bread. I walked over to the pile of straw. I didn't know what I was supposed to use it for; they gave me lots of scratchy paper to use as toilet paper, so the straw was just...there. Then I had an idea. I picked up two pieces with my free hand and placed them a couple of feet away from the straw. _There_, I thought in satisfaction. Two days, two pieces of straw. I could use the straw to keep track of how long I'd been there. Seeing as how my door was solid wood, I did a small victory dance and nearly choked on my bread because I was laughing. 

I didn't mind being in the cell. 

Call me crazy, but I was almost enjoying it. I was a loner by nature, and without parents to keep me in line, I was pretty much pleased. And I had my watch. Thank everything holy for my watch. I finished most of my breakfast and left some bread for later, then sat on the stone floor and debated on what to do first. 

* * *

Ta-dah. I know I haven't gotten the U.Team involved yet, but let me know if you want romance...like I said, I need to know...well...now so I can work it into the story. Ja! 


	3. Freedom

I really have nothing to say except geometry sucks and thanks again to my reviewers!!

Kyoshi-neko – O.o I think we're telepathic. When I first thought of this story, I thought of doing the Yusuke/Becca and Kurama/Hiei thing and am still very, _very_ clingy to that idea. I'll probably use it.

Nobody – Thanks for reviewing! Unfortunately, the more I look at the YYH story selection here at FF.net, the more Kurama/OC I'm seeing. It's really annoying me, so I'll probably make it Yusuke/OC; sorry! But please keep reading…I need readers. ;_; 

* * *

Well, three months later found me still pleased with myself. I was almost completely down in my good, bad, and straddle leg splits. I could do a backbend down the wall and only needed to touch the wall three or four times. I was fairly flexible and could jog in place for nearly forty-five minutes. I could sprint from end of the cell to the other in about three seconds. I could do about fifty boy push-ups. I was as skinny as the girls at school now. I had, however, lost most of my leg and arm muscle that I had gained from taking care of my horses, and I was disappointed to see it go. My butt was even thinner, which made me scoff, because I had just gotten used to it. I was probably more fit now than I had ever been in my life. 

My singing had definitely improved. I mean, I had been an okay singer before...maybe a little rough around the edges...but now I could warble notes, lilt my voice, and had a vibrato that would've made Celion Dion jealous. I had sung quietly at first, then decided to screw it - the guards could cover their ears if they didn't like it. Heh, Lord only knew how many songs I knew and sang. I had roughly sixty-two CD's at home and many more on tape, so my selection was pretty much endless. There was one song I sang a lot. It was called 'Unwell', by Matchbox 20, and had been the image song for one of my horses before...well...before. 

Things were never boring around the dungeon. There were always screams and shouts, threats and pleas. The guards got angry and beat a lot of the creatures around me. Sometimes, when I stood at my wooden door and peered through the square opening, I could see them leading them around. It didn't take me long to figure out the people around here hated humans, so I often remained hidden from sight. 

I even made some friends. The feminine-sounding creature in the cell immediately to my right sang with me after a month or so of hearing 'Unwell.' It had scared the crap out of me the first time, but she persisted on singing it and several other songs with me, even though we didn't speak any of the same languages. I probably could've sang 'The Animal Song' and she would've sung it with me. She was exceptionally good at harmonizing, and we had fun together. Of course, she was probably a criminal who had killed and plundered and slit one too many throats, but hey, stone walls can do miracles for one's safety standards. 

The only things I missed were my music, computer and e-mail, books, television, sugar in all its glorious forms, brush, toothbrush, deodorant, and drawings. Oh yeah. I missed showers too. And a different pair of clothes. I had taken to not wearing my tennis shoes, socks, and shirt; I was decent enough, however, to keep my jeans on. 

During the day. 

Yeah, modesty wasn't really my thing. 

But one day, that all changed. 

The guards were nervous. Even my bad hearing could detect their uncertain mutters and hushed conversations. The guards were usually loud, bantering and bragging and fighting and drinking. Their silence was unnerving. That immediately alerted me, and I donned all my clothes, even my shoes. I began to sing 'Street of Dreams' to keep myself occupied, and the girl next door sang with me. I could hear uncertainty in her voice as she probably could mine. Faintly, so far away, I began to hear explosions, and the ground shook slightly. 

The girl's voice trailed off moments before mine stopped abruptly. How far down were we? Would this place collapse on us? What the hell was going on? I stood up as the sound of quick marching told of the arrival of more guards. They all stopped outside my door. That was more than enough to really scare a person, especially since the explosions were getting louder. Louder equals closer, and the ground was shaking harder. I could hear people screaming. Within moments the guards outside my door were shrieking, I could see lights flashing through my little window on my door, and boys' voices yelled at each other. 

"Spirit Gun!!" a teenage-sounding boy yelled. 

There was a huge explosion down the hall that took my door with it. Dead creature bodies immediately spilled into my room, and I gasped as I back-stepped quickly. A medium-sized boy with brown hair, brown eyes, and icky green jumpsuit looked around before stepping into the room. "Is your name Lea...Lr-e..."(1) 

"Rebecca Wallace?" I offered. 

The brown-haired boy lit up in a smile. "Yeah! That's it! That's you?" I nodded. "My name's Yusuke Urameshi, and I'm here to get you out of here. Come with me?" he asked. 

"Sure." _Like I have anything else to do._ I walked quickly over to him, stepping over the former guards' bodies. He turned and led me to my right. I paused and looked around. My cell was the only one with a wooden door on it - all the rest were see-through gates. My attention perked, and I looked into the cell to the right of mine. 

There was no one there. 

I could feel myself go pale. I was saved a sputtering fit of babble when Yusuke said, "Let's go before Koji gets a chance to regroup." I nodded dumbly. 

Yusuke hesitated, then grabbed my hand and took off running. We ran up several flights of steps and through many halls before arriving in a familiar room. The only other way out was blocked by an all-too familiar person and his posse of freaks. Yusuke released my hand and stepped in front of me in what I understood to be a protective gesture. 

"Spirit Detective, leave the girl and I will let you out alive," Koji said calmly. 

"As if. It took us three months to find her-" he jerked his thumb at me, "and we're not giving her back." Well, would you looky here! Someone was fighting over me! 

"She is mine." 

"Am not!" I yelled, then clamped my hand over my mouth. 

Koji glared at me, and I glared back. "I have deciphered the rest of the legend, and-" Blood flew as a blur dropped down from the rafters and quickly dispatched the pearl-skinned demon. _Wah! Now I'll never know what I'm destined for!_ I mentally cried. 

"We need to work on your timing, Hiei," Yusuke said flatly, starting to walk ahead. 

My foot was off of the ground as I attempted to follow him when someone who was _not_ Yusuke appeared in front of me. "Not you again!" I complained with a scowl. 

I felt more than heard the swish of a blade and stepped back into just as a sword cut my arm. Had I been standing where I was before, he might've hit my neck. I let fly more curses than I ever had at one time and glared daggers at the male. There was another blur of movement, and the guy fell to the ground, dead, eyes still open. I looked at the person who had done me justice and found myself staring into another pair of blood red eyes. This one, however, was shorter. "Thanks." 

"Hn." 

"Ugh, sorry about that...hey, Hiei, he looks sorta like you," Yusuke mused, rubbing the back of his head. The shorter boy glared at him shortly and disappeared. 

"Right," I said, holding onto my bleeding arm dumbly. We continued running and were soon clear of the palace. As we stood on a tall hill overlooking it, the thing exploded sky-high. I noticed there were now two more boys with us. 

"Well, that's that," Yusuke declared cheerfully, and we set off to walking again. 

"Yeah. Score!" the taller of the new boys yelled. 

"Right. So, you know where you are?" Yusuke asked, smiling. 

_Is the world square?_ I made a slight face that was somewhere between disbelief and concern. 

"Thought as much; Koenma said you've never been in the Makai before." 

"The what?" 

"The Makai; the Demon World. There's the Human World, Demon World or Makai, and Spirit World or Reikai." 

I'll be damned. So there _were_ three worlds. 

"Have you met everyone yet?" Yusuke asked. 

I shook my head. 

He stopped us. "Okay. That's Kuwabara-" he pointed at a tall boy that had orange, curly hair, wore a blue school uniform, and quite frankly looked rather dense, "he's Kurama-" he pointed now at a person that just about made my heart stop. I saw why Yusuke had said 'he,' otherwise I would've sworn the magenta-haired person behind me was a girl. He was beautiful, with hair almost as long as mine and content emerald green eyes. 

It almost made me sick. 

Suddenly I felt scornful and flustered. Beautiful or very pretty people often had that effect on me. I didn't like them, and I very well had my reasons. Now, this one I couldn't be jealous of because of guy attention (although...), but it did make my nose feel a few sizes too big. Which it already was. Okay, so I wasn't ugly, but I wasn't pretty, either. From the front, maybe, sometimes, I thought I looked good, but my side profiles always made me sneer. My nose was big, and my brown hair was my best asset. I could sit on it now, and my blonde highlights began behind my ear. My eyes were gray, blue, and green, with dark blue rings around my iris and outer eye. They also had freak, faint yellow lines in them that you could only see if you were nose-to-nose with me, something not very many people got the opportunity to do. I had too many freckles. Yeah, well, at least I couldn't complain about my stomach anymore. My long legs still spoke for themselves, although they shouted now since they didn't have much muscle. 

If one said I had an inferiority complex about my looks, one'd be right. 

"-and...well..." Yusuke looked around. I was wearing my suck-up smile and kept a merry glimmer in my eyes. "Hiei's around here somewhere." Kurama, Kuwabara, and I bowed. "We know your name, by the way. It's Lea...Lr-e...Lllrraah..." 

"Rebecca Wallace. I tell you what, Yusuke - just call me Becca." 

"Becca. Okay. I can say that. Oh yeah! I gotta question for you. What's up with your name?" 

"It's English," I grinned. "I am...was...an American. We...moved to Japan fou-...seven months ago. My dad had a job transfer with Toyota." I could not stop my voice from getting hard and mocking. It was impossible. 

"You speak Japanese well," Kurama said politely, green eyes uncertain. 

_I know_. "Thanks. I was really into anime for a few years and learned a lot of Japanese. Then a year ago my dad enrolled us all in basic language crash-course, and I rounded out my vocabulary there," I said with a twisted smile, changing the grip I had on my bleeding arm. 

Kurama and Yusuke immediately brought up my injury, and the red-head set about to bandaging it as we continued walking. Conversation was stinted and didn't really exist. As we sat by a stream, Kurama looked at my shirt. And chuckled. "Is it true?" he teased. _Watch it, pretty-boy_... 

"Yep. You speak English?" I asked, then put on a fake smile. 

"A bit. I've taken two years in high school," he admitted. _I've taken fifteen in real life._

I shifted positions. "I took Spanish in America, and I take English here." 

His green eyes widened. "You can do that?" 

"'So long as I'm not a part of the language team,' yeah." 

He chuckled. "What school do you go to?" _Hopefully not the same as yours_. 

"Hirosha, but I'm right on the borderline between it at Sarayashiki (2) High," I replied. 

"No way! That's where me and Urameshi go!" Kuwabara exclaimed. 

"Urameshi and I, you dolt," Hiei's curt voice snapped from branches above us. 

I grinned. 

"We should be getting you home soon," Yusuke said, interrupting a verbal fight between them. "I'll have my boss take care of the fact you were gone-"

"Don't rush." I shook a white-blonde-no-longer-a-baby baby bang away from my face and smiled softly at him. 

He looked taken aback. "Don't you want to go home?" 

_I want to go home more than anything else in the world, Yusuke. But I can never go home. I have to go back to Japan_. I looked him dead in the eyes, letting my eyes reflect my actual feelings - if only for a second. "No." _I want to go back to America._

* * *

(1) – Japanese people do not have the 'r' sound in their language and have a difficult time pronouncing it, especially if they've never been taught it. Yes, I know this for a fact – one of my friends has foreign exchange students every year, and last year they had a Japanese one. She couldn't say my name because it has an 'r' in it.

(2) – Okay, I KNOW that's not how you spell Yusuke's and Kuwabara's high school's name. If you know how to actually spell it, let me know and I'll change it. 

Did I have anybody thinking Hiei was Lord Koji's agent? No? Oh well.

I personally like this chapter. If you don't, I'm not going to make any apologies. I'd chatter more, but I have to go study. A lot. So…later. 


	4. When Plants Attack

Did you miss me? No? Well, I didn't miss me either, so that's okay.

Kiyoshi-neko - So many questions! #.# And you'll have to wait to see what happens to poor Becca. I think you'll like it. *bows* Why, thank you! It's to hear from SOMEBODY that I'm perfect. Well...okay...you didn't _say_ that...but it's close enough. ^.~ Bangs...bangs...damn...I explained that...didn't I? Crap; maybe I'll just put here and let live. I compared them to my own bangs. My hair was mid-way down my back when I decided to let some of my bangs grow out because I had a crappy hair cutter when I was little and therefore had waaay too many bangs. So I pulled them back and let them grow, calling them my baby bangs. Well, they're to my shoulders now, so they're not exactly babies, even though I call them that. Hope that explains it a bit better...And thank you for the advertisement! Did you really think it was Hiei/Becca? Or was it someone else? LOL, thanks tons for the review!

Shannon - The shirt said 'Smart Alec University, Attitude Department,' and I could've sworn I put that in there. @.@ Glad you like it!

Nobody - Thanks! Like I said, I liked it a lot. It's probably one of my favorites, and I like this one too.

**Bold** words are English. Honestly, if I were in another country, I'd speak my own language when talking to myself. (Which I do.)

Umm...I think that's it.

* * *

"We'll have to stop for the night; we won't make it back to the temple today," Kurama said, looking up at the sky. 

Yusuke scratched his head. "Now?" The other boy nodded. "But it's still light out." I pretended I didn't notice when Kurama looked pointedly at me, then back at Yusuke. "Fine, fine. But Keiko, Shizuru, and Yukina will be there by then and are expecting us back early tomorrow."

"They can wait," Kurama said patiently.

Once it was made apparent we were stopping in an extremely small clearing for the night, Kuwabara and Yusuke collected firewood. Kurama said something to Hiei, the woodpile suddenly exploded into fire, and the short demon was out of sight.

_So, this is the Demon World. Yippity-skippity-do_, I thought flatly, looking around. Sure, this was a totally different world, but we'd been walking all day, and after a while the trees had all started looking the same. I slipped into the forest and looked around. Lots of underbrush, lots of foliage...hm. I bent over and stared at a strange yellow-blue flower. It was pretty, but I couldn't really smell anything. I nudged it with my shoe, and it bent towards me. I inhaled sharply and jumped back, then crept forward again. I blew on it, and it rose towards my face. I hummed lightly, and it curved towards my throat. I stepped away.

I turned to my left and looked closely at the green plants. The leaves were oddly shaped, and the green was so deep it was practically purple. In fact, I noticed, a lot of them were. Small white flowers littered the ground in a line, and I wanted to go after them but stopped myself. I noticed a mushroom-looking thing to my right and took a step closer. It suddenly grew and lunged at me. "**Holy crap!**" I snapped, darting away. I peered around a tree and saw it had shrank back down. I picked up a stick, crept over to it, and beat it into a mushy pulp. "**Take that, nature**," I muttered, taking the flat of my left pointer finger and thunking my hand against my chest a couple of times, before throwing the stick back into the woods.

"I see you're not quite a flower-girl," a voice commented dryly, but I swear I heard amusement.

I stopped breathing momentarily and whipped around. "I don't like things that try to eat me."

"Then you won't like this world."

"I like it so far. Imprisonment and all."

I could feel eyes staring at me, but for the life of me I could not find Hiei. "They went easy on you."

Ow. I'd hit a chord. "I never said I liked imprisonment. I said I liked mine." The best way to shut a person up? Confuse them!

I heard him snort. "You are a weird human."

"I'd bow, but I'm afraid I'd get attacked by a leaf," I replied, walking back towards the campsite.

Hiei, as it turned out, returned with three dead pheasants. Kurama gutted and wrapped them in an assembly of leaves after adding other herbs. Yusuke and Kuwabara started up a rhyming game that somehow got me involved.

"Grape," Kuwabara continued.

"Late," I replied.

"Great," Yusuke shrugged.

"Slate."

"Bait."

"Take."

"Break."

"Snake."

"Tape."

"Eight." Kuwabara held up eight fingers.

"Ate."

"Crate."

"Tape."

"Shape."

"..." Kuwabara and I looked expectantly at Yusuke, who was deep in thought. "Hmm..." Even Kurama was looking at him. He made a face. A few seconds later he threw up his hands. "I don't know!"

"Cake!" I cheered seconds before Kuwabara yelled "Shake!", which made me the winner.

"That's the third time she's beat you two," Kurama chuckled, turning the pheasants.

"Beginner's luck," Yusuke grumbled.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Let's play genkan!" Kuwabara said enthusiastically. I lifted an eyebrow. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

"Paper, scissors, rock." I nodded. "Sure."

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and I stuck our hands into a circle. We shook our fists three times, and Kuwabara won. Well. I was usually good at this game. I frowned as we did it again. The tall boy won again. This was embarrassing.

Ten times later Yusuke had given up, but Kuwabara and I were still at it. He had won every freaking time, and I was the type of person who didn't give up until they had what they wanted, and I wanted a win. I lost. Eleven. I lost again. Twelve. I lost. Thirteen. I lost. Fourteen. I lost. Fifteen. I lost. Sixteen. I lost. Seventeen. I won.

I won?

"Boo-yah!" I declared, drawing my wrist back in triumphantly. I crooned to myself as I did the cabbage patch. If a laughing Kurama wouldn't have said it was time to eat, I might've gotten up and done my version of the Digorno dance.

Kuwabara was still sputtering about his loss when Hiei interrupted. "Nobody wins forever, you oaf."

"But I'm the king of genkan!"

"Who just got beat by a girl," Yusuke snickered.

While they fought, Kurama handed me half of a pheasant. I smiled and told him thanks, and he sat beside me. It was then we noticed we really didn't have any utensils to eat with. He glanced down at his bird, then at me, and laughed softly as he used his hands. I couldn't help from smiling again as I did the same. 

Almost in unison, we yelled, "Hot!!" and spit the food back out. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at us, Yusuke's mouth still open to fire another insult at Kuwabara. Somewhere I heard Hiei snort.

Mentally bad-mouthing pretty much everything, I stuck my tongue out and went cross-eyed trying to look at it. It stung like no one's business, and I could feel my pulse when I touched it to the roof of my mouth. "Dahm..." I hissed, then glanced up as Yusuke started to laugh.

It was going to be a long night.

*

I stayed leaning against the tree I had eaten my supper against even as Kuwabara and Kurama settled down. There had been no sign of Hiei since dinner, which had ended nearly an hour ago. Yusuke was walking around since he had first watch. They had talked about this, and it was decided that since Kuwabara had lost to me, he wouldn't have a watch this night. Apparently only three of them could keep watch all night.

I was tired and my feet hurt, but I didn't sleep. It was an unfortunate habit of mine. Whenever I slept somewhere unfamiliar, I stayed up late and once I fell asleep, woke up periodically all through the night. Yusuke kept glancing at me as he walked by, so after awhile, I let my head drop and my hair fan around my face so he couldn't see my open eyes. I took special care not to move.

Well, let's just say I was still awake when Yusuke woke up Kurama. I fell asleep sometime after that, because I woke up twice when it was still his shift. The second time I woke up, I pulled a I'm-still-half-asleep move and shuffled a foot closer to the greenish-tinted fire(1) before lying down. I woke up four more times during his shift and again when he called softly for Hiei. Hiei said something that sounded like 'here,' and Kurama laid back down to sleep. 

I snuck a glance at my watch; it was three o' clock in the morning. Unless we were getting up at five in the morning, Hiei had the longest shift. It had been nine at night when we had laid down, and even though I should've had six hours of sleep by now, I knew I'd had less than half of that. _Tomorrow is going to suck_. I shivered slightly and inched closer to the fire, so close in fact that I was an arm's length from the stones that surrounded it. As I stared at it drowsily, it seemed like the fire got warmer, like someone had added fuel to it. I sighed softly and knew I was loosing it. 

When I woke up again, something was on me. I almost flipped out until I realized it was a cloak. I mumbled something and pulled it off of me. My sleepy hands wadded it up into a ball, then cuddled it against my chest like a stuffed animal. "Thanks," I whispered in my half-awake state, perfectly unaware that someone _was_ listening. I fell asleep.

* * *

1 - Hiei started it and kept it fueled with his own energy. So there.

Please keep the reviews coming! (After getting viciously attacked by a wheelbarrow two days in a row, it would make me very happy.) 


	5. Of Portals and Screams

Kit - Thanks; I'll probably need that luck - I'm going to get bloody well stuck after the next few chapters trying to bring romance into the story. Thank you reading! ^.^

Kiyoshi-neko - I've actually seen the fire thing quite a bit; never had a chance to use it until now, though. ^.^ Hehe, it's okay, I like long reviews; makes it look like I have more of them...>.>;; I love the plant thing myself; I was snickering to myself when I wrote it and scared my mom. Fun. You grew your bangs out too?? That's freaky! O.o *pokes* Did you streak your hair blonde? You...you found a mistake! *faints*twitch* It's geometry, I swear, it's warping my mind...*twitchtwitch* I had a dumb moment during the rhyming game - I couldn't think of any more rhymes for Becca and Kuwabara to break Yusuke's tie with. V.V I had to ask my mom. Sad. I actually honestly thought the ending sucked, but hey, at least someone liked it! ^.^; Nah, I don't plan on Becca and Hiei to get together...maybe let her have some sort of higher understanding of him, hence a more tolerating and companionable bond with him, but no romance. (That would be Kurama's job. ^.~) *puppy dog eyes* But I like long reviews...really...

I like this chapter too.

I slammed my thumb in my truck door.

It's swollen and purple.

Good thing I like purple.

Here's where my wonderful rating kicks in.

* * *

The next thing I knew someone was gently shaking my shoulder and telling me to get up like they would a little child. Well, I was extremely good at faking sleep, so I kept my breathing even and ignored him. Why? Because I was so lazy I didn't want to walk around all day, that's why! I realized that the cloak I had held in my arms was gone, but that was actually a good thing for the people around me, else I'd have buried my face in it and then...let's just say they'd never get me up. 

The shaking got harder as I let my senses become more aware. Yusuke was talking to Kuwabara, who was yawning, and Kurama was the one that was shaking my shoulder. The fire was still going, and I could detect no sign of Hiei.

"What's the matter, Kurama; can't wake her up?" Yusuke asked with a chuckle. 

"No; I hope she's okay." 

"Let me try." _Oh crap! Adolescent boy!_ My defenses had fallen before to one of my best friend's older brother. I mumbled something and stretched slightly to bury my face in my arm. There. Now they couldn't see me smile if I had to.

He poked my side, and I bit my tongue so hard it almost bled. He blew in my ear, and I bit my lip. He pulled at my hair, but not hard, so I didn't do anything. He clapped his hands next to my ear, and I shifted to hide a jump, but I didn't get up, so he continued. I somehow made it through a few more tests before he gave up. 

Kurama's hand went back to my shoulder, and he shook me again. I decided to wake up. I inhaled deeply and yawned, then rolled back slightly to rub my eyes. I put on my glasses and sat up with another yawn.

"Are you okay?" Kurama asked, eyebrows knit in concern.

I sniffed and blinked. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, we were trying to wake you up, and-"

I giggled. "I'm sorry, I should've told you - I'm a heavy sleeper. Sometimes it takes me awhile to wake up," I apologized with a smile.

Kurama smiled in visible relief. "Well, that's nice to hear." He stood up, and I shuffled back from the fire a bit. "Did you sleep well?"

_I_ knew _that was coming!_ If I lied, then he'd wonder why I'm so tired today. If I told the truth, he'd ask me about it. So I compromised. "Sorta." I glanced at my watch; it was seven in the morning. Wow - I'd slept for four straight hours after...the cloak. I looked around; no one had one, and I vaguely remembered Hiei wearing one. But he seemed so...distant. Oh well; appearances can be deceiving. That put me at roughly six or seven hours of sleep, I figured. "So...where are we going?" I asked, stretching my hands over my head.

"We didn't tell you? We _didn't_ tell you!" Yusuke said, blinking in surprise. "We're going to a portal that'll take us from the Makai to Earth so we can take you home."

I forced down a snarl and swallowed hard. "What does it look like?" I pushed out.

"Well, it actually doesn't look like anything. You can't even see them," he replied.

"So, a person could just be transported from one world to another and not know it?" _Now_ he had my attention.

"Yeah. That happens a lot," Kuwabara said. "But they're usually in remote places, so not that people or demons get through them. The ones in highly populated areas to either world you have to cut with something sharp."

"Then how do you guys know where they are?" Could we end up in Antarctica?

"We actually don't, but Kurama and Hiei do. They live -used to live- here and-" I couldn't help it. My eyes bugged. Kurama and Hiei...were they demons?! They looked human...and oh my God...I ate food cooked by a demon...I was gonna die... "and...you didn't know they were demons, did you?" Yusuke finished flatly, slapping himself in the face.

_No time for lies now_... "N-no."

"Smooth move, Urameshi," Kuwabara growled. "Might as well tell her the whole story now."

_Whole story? I _don't_ like the way he said that_. I put on a help-the-maiden-in-distress look.

"Well, it started a year or so ago. I jumped out in front of a car to save a kid's life and got killed in the process..."

So Yusuke told me everything. Kuwabara interrupted to add details about himself. Kurama interrupted to tell me what _really_ happened when Yusuke got too carried away with himself. Hiei, who had brought back rabbits, looked like he could throttle all three of them. The story took so long we were walking again as they talked.

It was interesting, to say the least.

*

"-and here we are," Yusuke concluded gallantly.

I chuckled and applauded. "Well, that clears up a lot. Thanks."

"Well, that took long enough - we're almost there," Kurama said dryly. Suddenly he stopped seconds before a blade erupted from the forest. Lots and lots of demons started to surround us. _Uh-oh_. "Hiei, get her out of here!"

"What?!" came a furious voice behind us. Or was he above us...?

"You're the fastest and only one with a katana!"

Suddenly someone had me in their arms, and I was gone. I closed my eyes, hoping fervently that it was Hiei. Just as suddenly I was on my feet facing Hiei, who was facing a blank area in front of him. His katana flashed briefly in the light before stabbing the air in front of us. I was no expert with portals, but I knew what happened next wasn't supposed to happen.

The area in front of Hiei turned milk-white in a large oval shape, and it actually looked like a portal. But Hiei's arms were shaking, and he looked like he couldn't move. The beige oval suddenly got cracks in it, and black seeped out from the lines. It leaked down the white as though it were liquid, and the portal began to disappear where the black touched it. It melted back into scenery - I could see trees and grass again in the holes. Then, just like that, the portal was gone.

Hiei still hadn't moved.

"Hiei?" I asked uncertainly. I didn't like it. I reached out grabbed a hold of his shoulders. A yelp tore from my throat. It felt like getting hit by a strong hot wire fence, only without the breaks in the current. _This probably hurts him more than it does me_. I pulled the short demon towards me and away from the portal. His arms dropped limply to his sides, and I gasped as he fell against me. I staggered slightly in surprise, then hooked my elbows under his armpits. _Hope demons wear deodorant_. That was the only thought I could think as I stared in dumb shock as a sword swished through the air right where he had been standing moments before. 

"Hiei!" I yelled. "Wake up!" The new demon turned to face me, and I pulled us back slightly. "Now is not the time for a nap!" My movement made Hiei's foot move, and if I thought he was heavy before, it was nothing compared to what it was now. I fell to my knees just as the sword swung in arc towards my neck. The female demon walked up to me, and as she did, I thought more desperately than I ever had in a pop quiz. I covered Hiei's ears with my hands.

My voice was only a note or two higher than Kurama's, low for a female but making for a nice alto. Now, this normally had nothing to do with one's screaming ability, but it seemed to with me. It was physically impossible for me to scream. I could manage a somewhat high shriek for a moment, but the best I ever got for a scream was a 'yell with a bite,' as my mom had said. I knew fully grown men who could scream in a higher pitch than myself.

Which was why I nearly pissed my pants when a blood-curling scream erupted from my mouth.

It would've made my always-screaming sister proud. The female demon hesitated and a few birds flew out of the nearby trees, obviously as startled by my outburst as much as I was. That was the only phenomenal thing that happened - the ground didn't shake, the air didn't pick up, and lightning didn't flash in the sky. The demon recovered herself and came closer. My voice rose a notch in stark fear as she lifted her sword. I had been screaming longer than I thought humanly possible without pausing for air when something long and thorny wrapped around the demoness. Blood flew, and she crumpled into pieces. My voice cracked then, and I began coughing, removing one of my hands from Hiei's ears to cover my mouth.

"Becca! Are you okay?" Kurama, asked wild-eyed and bleeding. I continued coughing but nodded. "Hiei..." he said quietly, green eyes wavering in concern. I shrugged, giving him an uncertain look as my coughing died down.

Moments later Yusuke and Kuwabara joined us. I inhaled deeply just as Yusuke moved forward towards the portal. "Stop! That's what happened to Hiei!" I yelled hoarsely. They stared at us then. Hiei was leaning on my chest, head right below and tucked against my chin, and the rest of his body laying across my folded legs and the ground. My arms were wrapped around him and clasped on his chest..

Why were they looking at me like I was doing something taboo?.

"I wish I had a camera," Yusuke muttered. 

"That's not important now, Yusuke," a worried Kurama said. "What happened to him?".

"Dunno. It was like he was stuck. The portal..." I went on to explain. The three boys looked horrified.

Kurama and Kuwabara came over to me as Yusuke pointed his fingers at the portal. "Spirit Gun!!".

A ball of yellow energy shot out of his fingers, hit the portal, and ricocheted back towards him. He barely had wits to move as it barreled at him, past him, and disappeared.

"Houston, we have a problem," I murmured.

Yusuke looked at a watch on his wrist and pushed a button. "Botan? Oh! Koenma. What's going on? The portals are broken!"

"Something's crashed them, Yusuke. They're all down. Nothing and no one can get through them. All who've tried have either died or are seriously injured. We're looking into it as we speak. I take it you got the girl?" Yusuke nodded. "I'd send Botan to get her, but she's in a healer's clinic now for trying."

"So...what should we do?"

"Take her back to Genkai's, and we'll take care of her when we get the gateways fixed."

"Okay. Later." He pushed a button on his watch. "Well...without the gateways, it'll probably take two or three days to get to the temple. I think-"

Suddenly Hiei leapt to his feet, dragging me forward a bit before I let my hands go. His katana was firmly grasped in his hand even as he leaned back. "I bloody swear if you touch that fucking thing one more damn time I sure as hell won't pull you off!" I snapped so fast it took them all a few moments to sort it out.

Hiei hesitated, then sheathed his katana and stepped back. I heaved a sigh of relief.

* * *

I can honestly talk so fast my friends and sister can't understand me. My younger cousin and I have contests as to whose the fastest when we see each other. Loads of fun. Point? Yes, it is possible to talk so fast nobody can understand you, whether it's for fun, to confuse someone, or warn them. They WILL stop, not because they understood, but because they're trying to understand. I could become an expert in this area, ne? 


	6. Connections

Sooo sorry, all...many many not good things going on at home and, as much as I love writing stories, they became the lowest on my list of priorities. I also got writer's block, but that's a different story.

Kiyoshi-neko - Dude...that's very scarey. I tried to go for a natural reaction to the whole demon thing; I didn't want her to be a valley-girl. >. 

* * *

"Not." 

"Too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Don't you get tired of this?" Yusuke asked in exasperation. We'd been arguing for nearly a half an hour now.

I snorted. "I have a blonde sister. What do you think?"

"You never told us you had a sister."

"You never asked. I win."

Yusuke growled. "You just _have_ to get the last word in, don't you?"

"M-hm."

"So your sister. Is she younger or older than you?" Kurama asked.

I mentally hit myself. I didn't want the conversation to be about me. "Younger. Two years."

"What's her name?"

"Katie."

"What's she like?"

"A ditzy, annoying cheerleader."

"Do you miss her?" Kuwabara asked.

"Huh?"

"I don't miss Shizuru, and I was wondering if you missed her, just to show all these only-children that siblings are annoying."

I thought. "Not really." _A little. Maybe...a little more than that_.

At about that time, we approached a clearing with a waterfall. Kurama led us up the rocky cliff. It was fun to climb; I loved climbing rocks. I flew up behind Kurama as easily as the demon-fox, while Yusuke and Kuwabara struggled piteously. He reached a ledge, turned around, and started to find me. He smiled and offered a hand, which even though I didn't need, I took. He pulled me up, and I looked around.

Of course.

It was a cave behind a waterfall.

"We'll be staying here tonight," Kurama said to me over his shoulder.

Uh-oh.

*

That night I got a little bit more sleep because I didn't wake up as much, but I was still tired the next morning. I sighed when Kurama woke me up and sat up. I didn't feel like playing games this morning. A few minutes later my reason was clear. I sneezed a snotty sneeze, then fired off three more. Kurama handed me a soft leaf with a slight frown. "I 'ope you 'ave more," I sniffed after I blew my nose. He frowned harder, and seconds later I let off another row of five sneezes. I blew my nose, sniffed, and kept sneezing. Shaking my head, I stumbled out of the cave and sat on a ledge, coughing and sneezing like...well...it's hard to find a comparison, but it was bad.

"Are you okay?" Yusuke asked, coming out and staring at me incredulously.

"Will be. 'S just allerg-_sneeze_-ies. They'll clear ub in a few hours-" I sneezed violently, effectively ending my sentence.

"If you say so," he said uncertainly. He put a large pile of more leaves down beside me and went back into the cave.

I continued so hard and bad I couldn't eat breakfast. Everyone was worried about me but me. I was used to it; it happened a lot in my summers in America. There it was the humidity and pollen; here it was the musky odor of the cave.

Kurama came from the cave nearly an hour later and handed me a cup. "It's an herbal antihistamine," he explained.

"'Anks." I took the cup, found it wasn't warm, and chugged it down in two gulps. "Will it make me drowsy?"

"Maybe a little," he relented.

One thing I hated most in the world was a drowsy side effect in medicines. I nodded, then continued to sneeze.

*

If you take two nights of practically no sleep; two days filled with running, walking, and excitement; and add a slightly drowsy side effect, you get one very tired girl.

My head was bobbing, and my mind was popping, something it only did when I was deader than dead tired. I was shuffling so bad I was barely moving. Voices blurred a lot, and I hardly realized when someone picked me up and carried me, for I was fast asleep.

*

"Kurama, are you sure giving her medicine like that was a good idea?" Kuwabara asked as he carried the girl in his arms.

"She's hardly slept at all these past couple of nights; she won't make it through another full day of walking," Kurama said, glancing at her.

"Are you sure about the whole not-sleeping thing? She's always got her eyes closed when I'm on shift," Yusuke asked.

"She fakes sleeping and wakes up so much when she does it defeats the point," Hiei replied flatly.

"She doesn't trust us, then?"

"I don't think that's it," Kurama said quietly, looking at her again. She was fast asleep, left arm dangling in front of Kuwabara's leg. Her right was wrapped loosely around her waist, and she looked perfectly content.

"Then what is it?" Kuwabara asked.

"I don't know."

*

I opened my eyes. Someone was fixing food, and the sun was rising. "Morning," a soft voice called. Kurama. 

"Morning," I mumbled, then bolted upright. "What happened?"

The boy cocked his head slightly. "You fell asleep. The medicine knocked you out cold for a day." I blinked. "We'll be arriving at the temple sometime this afternoon." 

_Rebecca Wallace does not sleep for a day because of side effects, especially with her recent sleeping pattern!_ I frowned slightly. Kurama was supposed to be a demon fox. Well, aren't foxes tricky? What if he gave me a sleeping draught instead? Well, I decided, whatever it was, I wasn't sneezing and coughing anymore, and let it be. 

An hour and a half later we were off again. My feet still ached, like they had on my trips to Chicago and New York City. We'd played so many games of genkan, rhymes, I spy, and connections that all I wanted to do was walk in silence, but Yusuke kept insisting on playing connections.

"Tree," the boy said.

"Leaf," Kuwabara replied.

"Fall," Kurama supplied.

"School," I mumbled.

"Detention."

"Time."

"Bells."

"_Night_." I rolled my eyes as they stared at me. "It's a book about a Jew in the Holocaust who dreamed of a world with no bells."

"Day," Yusuke decided.

"Sun."

"Light."

"Heat."

"Shade."

"Shadow."

Kurama looked around. "Hiei."

I smirked. "Weird."

Somewhere an annoyed voice answered, "Humans."

"Oblivious."

"Botan."

"Reikai."

"Ghosts?" What did I know about the spirit world?

Yusuke chuckled. "Powerful."

"Me!"

"Dense."

"Density."

"What?"

"Question."

"Answer."

"Test."

"Evil."

"Dark Tournament."

"Fight."

"Pain."

"Here!" Yusuke yelled.

It took us a second to figure out that he was pointing at a temple. 


	7. When the War is Over

The chapter title is an awesome song by Uriah Heep.

AzureDragoness - Yay! New reviewer! *gives lots of candy* Glad you like it! *puppy dog eyes* I tried to update sooner this time...I don't wanna make anyone cranky...

Tenika Dargan - Yay! Another new reviewer! *gives many plushies* I'm glad you like Becca...I thought I was making her too stuck-up there for awhile...^^;; I hope I can continue to please...I'm starting to have to bang my head on the desk more and more times to get new story ideas...

*stands on ant-hill with binoculars backward* Kiyoshi-neko, where are you? I miss someone telling me their favorite part of the chapter...^.~

**NOTE: THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN _BEFORE_ THE CAPTURE OF HUSSEIN. IN FACT, IT WAS WRITTEN NEARLY SIX MONTHS AGO, SO INTERPRET IT AS YOU WILL.**

* * *

It took us a second to figure out that he was pointing at a temple. When we arrived at it, Yusuke opened the door and beckoned us in. We removed our shoes and seconds later a short old lady arrived in the room. "I see you survived." 

"Yeah, well, hardly. Genkai, this is-" I gave him a look, "Becca Wallace. She's-"

"The girl Koenma sent you after. Yes, I see. Nice to meet you, child." She bowed, and I returned it.

"Do you know about the gateways?" Yusuke asked, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Of course I know, Yusuke. My house lies between them. Try and go to the patio and you just about kill yourself." She paused. "The gateways closed before the girls could get here, so I assume they're at Shizuru's," she continued.

"Where's Yukina?" Hiei growled.

"She went with Keiko to go shopping and got caught in the Human World." Genkai turned to me. '_There's a room upstairs to the left. It is yours until you leave. The shower is accessible and ready for use, if you wish_.'

_Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder..._My eyes widened, but I gave a slight nod. I turned and went up the stairs, found the room, and locked the door. My clothes were quickly gone, and I hopped into the shower. I washed my hair three times, put conditioner in it, brushed it out, washed it twice more, washed me until my skin was raw, put conditioner in my hair, and called it quits. Brushing my butt-long hair was harder than brushing waist-long, and I snarled some pretty words before I got the hang of it. Since blow drying my hair made it dry and fizzy, I let it be.

Wrapping a towel around me, I looked through the fully-stocked cabinets and grabbed a razor. I hopped back into the shower and preformed a much-needed shaving hoedown. Afterwards I used deoderant, hugged the little container, and went back into the room. Going through drawers and closets, I found undergarments that fit better than my old ones (I'd grown and shrunk), flannel pants, and a long T-shirt. _Perfect jammie clothes_, I decided as I pulled them on.

I wandered back into the bathroom and seized a pair of nail clippers. I cut my toenails down next to nothing, although careful enough not to make myself bleed. I added a nail file to my routine and snipped and filed away at my long finger nails, leaving them long enough for weapons but not breakage. Putting these away, I pulled out a pair of tweezers and carefully looked over my right cheek. A few years ago one of my freckles had began to grow a long, black hair, and now wasn't an exception. I clenched my teeth and pulled, hissing a bit at the stinging sensation. I brushed my teeth five or six times and made my prone-to bottom gums bleed, but I didn't mind. 

Feeling clean and bubbly, I waltzed back into the bedroom and went through the drawers again. I grinned cheekily as I found one full of make-up. Well, I wasn't about to indulge in that - there was no occasion. I sniffed some body sprays before finding one I liked and sprayed my neck once. I hated it when people over did perfume. Following that I put on some clear lip-gloss that didn't really have any flavor. I was about to go downstairs when I realized my feet were cold. Hopping around and falling on the bed to do so, I pulled on some socks. A quick glance at my watch told me I'd spent nearly three hours pampering myself. _Oh well - I deserve it._ There was only one more thing to do.

I walked quietly downstairs, finding the group of five watching TV. I sat down on an armrest on one of the couches and waited for a commercial. As I did, I looked over the group before me. Kurama was faking an interest in the show; he was staring at some point above the television set. Hiei was staring at the floor and glaring death at it. Yusuke and Kuwabara were completely engrossed in the show. Genkai looked like she was meditating, but with the noise of the show, I didn't see how.

Commercial break.

"Is anyone here good at cutting hair?" I asked, playing with my long blonde bangs. Why were they staring at me like they'd never seen me before?

Genkai looked up. "I am." I sighed in relief; Yusuke looked like he was about to say something. "Come with me." I followed her into a bathroom. "What is it you'd like cut?"

"My bangs." I pulled at my ear-length brown bangs, freeing them from behind my ears. "If you could just make them even with my eyebrows, that'd be perfect."

She nodded and had me kneel on the ground. I held a trashcan and closed my eyes as the feeling of scissors cutting hair. Within seconds she was done. "Take a look."

I set the trashcan down and looked into a mirror. "It's perfect. Thanks," I smiled, putting the can back where it belonged.

"You're welcome. We'll be eating dinner in about ten minutes."

"Okay." I smiled again and trotted back up the stairs, washing my now-short bangs and combing them out straight before rubbing them mostly dry with a washcloth. I paused on my way out of the room and glanced at myself in the mirror. Seeing my hair so long was a shock, and I pulled a strand over my shoulder. Instead of falling to my stomach, it fell to my upper thigh. "Hmph," I mused. I hesitated, then slid my clothes off and stared at myself in the mirror. _Holy shitauke mushrooms. I look good_, I thought in surprise. 

The loss of butt inches hadn't affected my hip curves and, if anything, had made them curvier for the lack of leg muscle. My legs themselves were clearly long now, as though I'd grown. I blinked in surprise and retrieved my old jeans. I pulled them on, not bothering to fasten them. Where they'd once dragged the ground by a good three inches they touched the area right above the ball of my ankle. I chuckled in disbelief and took the jeans off. I looked at myself again. My stomach was flat, like I'd always wanted it to be. I turned sideways. Yep. I'd grown in another area too. "Cha-ching," I cheered quietly, donning my pajama clothes again. _Puberty rocks_.

*

"You okay? You're not eating much," Yusuke mused as he glanced at my plate.

"I'm not that hungry," I replied honestly.

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Nope. Three months of bread and cheese twice a day'll shrink your appetite."

"True. Did you eat like this in Japan? Or America?"

I smirked. "Sort of. I usually didn't eat any breakfast, had a soda for lunch, ate a big supper, and snacked around that." He stared at me in astonishment. I resumed eating as though what I said wasn't at all unusual. "Of course, that was only during the summer in America. During the school year I ate pop tarts for breakfast, greasy fries for lunch, and a big supper."

He laughed. "You're weird, Becca."

"Thanks."

Needless to say, I finished eating before everyone else. Genkai looked at me. '_You can go watch television if you want._' I flashed her another smile and got up, first turning my attention to a calendar. It was September 21. _Seems like yesterday is was June and I was already writing out my birthday list_. My eyes flew open. Birthday list?! My birthday was September 17! _Bloody hell! I'm sixteen!_ A squeak escaped my mouth even as I covered it. _I can drive!_

"Something wrong?" Kuwabara asked.

"I'm sixteen."

"Come again?"

"I'm sixteen. I turned sixteen four days ago."

"You spent your birthday in a Makai prison. That's interesting," Yusuke snorted.

"No joke," I replied before returning to the living room, as I was going to call it. Turning on the television, I was faced with a demon looking like a broadcaster. I bit back a cough and channel-surfed. As I flipped, a suddenly familiar word caught my ear, and I flipped back, frowning.

I'd found an English-speaking channel.

_Something's going down_, I realized. I walked up to the television and knelt down in front of it. _The war! What's happened with the war?!_ My eyes got huge as I watched and realized what was happening.

"-captured Osama Bin Laden and Sadam Hussein late last night. The young soldier who discovered their where-abouts and first arrived on the scene, Charlie Anderson (1)-" 

I lost it. 

"Fucking shit!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. "Charlie! You did it! You're alive! You did it! You found them!" I shrieked, hands covering the sides of my mouth as I jumped and danced around like an idiot. By now the other occupants of the temple were in the room, wondering why I was suddenly shrieking and yelling like a banshee. I began laughing. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Yes! Charlie, you're famous! You're okay! You did it! You can come home!" I continued my jumpy-yelling act for at least ten minutes, only half listening to the broadcast. I finally fell to my knees laughing. I eventually got control of myself, but I couldn't wipe a huge smile off my face.

"Um...what's going on?" Yusuke asked, rubbing his head.

It was about that time I realized I'd been yelling in English.

"My friend...he caught Bin Laden and Hussein. We won the war!" I declared happily, settling down to watch the broadcast in its entirety. Iraq and Afghanistan had surrendered...Taliban and al-Qaida turned themselves in...we won...America won..._I live in Japan_. The thought made my smile die suddenly. I couldn't be a part of the festivities, the celebrations. Not only had I moved to a different country, I was stuck in a different world. I'd never get to see Charlie, tell him how happy I was to see him, how much I'd missed him.

Tears were in my eyes and about ready to escape, but I held them back and watched the entire broadcast three times.

* * *

1 - I actually do have a really good friend fighting in Iraq named Charlie, and he's been over there for nearly two years. Anyone who knows anyone fighting over there knows how stressful and frightening it is when you hear about American soldiers getting killed. I miss him terribly, and including him in the story made me feel a bit closer to him. If you find it perposterous or impossible or whatever makes you not like it, I don't give a damn. Someone has to catch those morons; why not him?


	8. Contracts

Wow, I've been in a good mood lately...can you tell? Yes, you can, because if I was in a bad mood, I would've updated sooner. ^.~ 

Tenika Dargan - When I wrote that chapter, I actually _did_ have hair down to my butt. Then I let my mom cut it to right below my shoulder blades the day before school started, then not even a month ago it was hacked off to just above my shoulders. *twitch* Maybe Becca'll have that problem later...hm... *hides scissors behind back*

Kiyoshi-neko - *glomp* Yay! You're back! And with plushies! *hugs it so tight the head pops off* O.O I can fix that...really...*duck tape* Anyway. Thanks; I wasn't sure how people would react to my reference to Charlie. No one flamed me, so I guess no one really minds. Good to know people are still open-minded about some things...

Thanks to everybody who read, my wonderful reviewers, and President Bush for letting the soldiers come home. Charlie might be coming home next month! 

* * *

I was dozing when someone touched my shoulder and jumped, turning over on my bed and blinking in surprise. Brown eyes watched me lightly. "Time to get up," an old voice said. 

_Woah...bed...old lady...uh...oh! Temple. Charlie._ "'K," I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

Genkai sat on the edge of my bed and watched me put on my trusty glasses and watch. "You're depressed."

My chin jerked down slightly. "A little." 

She rose a faded pink eyebrow. "And the move had nothing to do with it?"

I inhaled sharply, about to damn her to hell in two languages, when I checked myself and stared at her calmly. "I never said that."

"Why are you-"

"Don't!" I interrupted, rage pooled into the word. I swallowed hard and forced myself to calm down. "Please, don't be my dad."

"There's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?" I looked at her in surprise. "Well, I suppose we'll figure it out someday. Let me know when you're ready to talk." She stood up and left.

Tears stung the back of my eyes, and my throat burned. _I'll be here when you're ready to talk_, a voice echoed in my mind. "Josh," I whispered, getting up numbly and shutting the door. I breathed slowly, swallowing and trying not to blink. I didn't cry.

I took off my pajamas and went in search of clothes. All I found were kimonos. I growled. I had told myself I'd never wear Japanese clothing, but...it was either a kimono or my three-months of straight wear American clothes. I marched over to the dresser and switched to a strapless bra before returning t o the closet. Scowling violently, I yanked a silver and purple kimono off of a hanger and pulled it on. The silver obi had a purple violet on the front and was almost too small. I snarled and stamped and fussed, finally succeeding in getting the tight garment on. I took a deep breath and settled it more comfortably on my stomach. I paused and looked in a mirror. 

Damn. 

This obi was larger than usual; it touched the top of my hips and pressed my breasts up. _Not that I'm complaining. Time to give it an American-girl twist_. I sucked in my breath again and pulled the top sides of the kimono apart to make a V-neck. Since the freaking thing was small, I pulled the collar down my shoulders to create longer sleeves, revealing skin in the process. That done, I pulled at the bottom part of the kimono so that it created a slight slit up my thighs. I tugged at the hem, not letting any wrinkles in the garment, and smoothed it over my hips.

It would have to do.

I brushed my long hair and combed my thankfully-short bangs. I pulled the front sections and top layer of my hair back and pinned it up. Putting on lip gloss again, I headed out my room, still fussing with my obi as I walked down the stairs. Since no one really seemed to understand English, I was muttering to myself. I gave it a final, angry tug that for some reason made it easier to breathe and my stomach stop hurting. With that, I made it to the landing and jogged down the last flight of stairs, emerging in the living room just as Genkai announced it was time for breakfast.

I swear these people had a staring problem.

"Morning," Kurama finally smiled.

"Morning," I replied, grinning slightly. 

"Sleep well?"

About as well as an insomniac. "Sort of."

"I see you're larger than Koenma expected," Genkai chuckled. "If that one's small, they all are."

"Koenma expected? How did he know I was coming back to the temple?" I asked with a frown.

"The moment he had a fraction of an idea the gateways weren't working, he sent a whole lot of clothes and other things. He didn't want any of you traveling between worlds with the portals down. He tried to send Botan, but the gateways crashed so fast that she didn't make it out of the Reikai."

"Sounds like a computer virus," I snorted as I sat down.

Genkai looked at me incredulously. "That's exactly what it is. That's what Lord Enma and Koenma called it, and they 'hmed' and 'hahed' over it before even saying that."

"Bingo was his name-o," I sang quietly, making myself grin.

"Looks like there's another brain in the group," Kuwabara complained.

I gave a breath of a chuckle. "I'd hardly say that."

We began eating, and I dismissed myself from the table early again. I walked back into the living room and flipped through the channels until I found the English one. I leaned back on my elbows, crossing my legs as I watched. Pictures of cheering Americans flashed across the screen, and my heart ached. A song kicked me in the head, and I began to sing a song that had at one time bugged the crap out of me but had since come to love. "If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for all my life..." Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was '_God Bless the U.S.A._' And I sang the entire thing. Familiar pop artists sang it songs along with other patriotic songs, and I sang with them as I recognized them. I didn't have a flag to wave around, but I figured enough people had them that I could imagine one as my own. More cheering Americans, more money-earning artists, and I groaned and flopped to the ground. It was actually pretty depressing, so I began to channel-surf again. Yusuke walked into the room, and I threw the remote control at him. He caught it, grinned, and dropped onto the couch.

*

I blinked.

"What?" Yusuke asked, frowning at Genkai.

"Koenma has asked me to train Becca in martial arts. He said part of the reason is that it'll keep us all busy while the gateways are down," the old woman said again.

"What's the other part?" he asked. I was feeling decidedly nervous.

"That reason is, and will remain, undisclosed." Her voice had an edge to it.

"Wait a minute. I thought I-" Yusuke began.

"Don't worry, Yusuke; you are my heir and successor. She's just going to be a student. Becca's training is physical, not spiritual."

I had a feeling I was supposed to snap something retorical, but...

I blinked.

"What do you say?" Genkai asked me, smiling faintly.

I jerked slightly, shaken out my surprise. Then I frowned. "I have a choice?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't you?"

I felt my breath hitch but continued to talk. "Since Koenma asked you to, and he's the price of the Underworld and all, I figured asking could be the same as commanding in this case." How did I always manage to sound so smart when I put my mouth on auto-pilot?

She chuckled. "You're right; it usually is." I let out a small breath of relief. "In your case, however, it's entirely up to you."

I hesitated. "Sure." 

She smiled pleasantly. "That's good to hear. We'll start your training tomorrow."

Something about the way she said that...._Damn. Why the hell did I say yes?_ I stood up to go to my room, feeling as though I'd signed my name on a contract for pain.

*

Well, it started out like gym class. In fact, it was almost exactly like gym class. The only thing missing was the bells. I worked out for an hour every morning, practiced basic martial arts moves with Genkai in the afternoon, ran for time or distance in the evenings, and had a class about marital arts before bedtime. Doesn't sound bad? Consider I did this seven days a week, weekend or no.

I worked out by myself. The weights were built to somehow not crush me if the weight was too much but still worked normally if I could lift or push them correctly. It confused me and I never really felt safe, but the energy it required to be so keyed up helped me lift heavier weights.

At first, Genkai had me do a lot of stupid toning exercises that only made me uncomfortable and sore. After a few weeks she taught me basic defense and offense moves. She never made me fight her or anyone else, and no one was allowed to watch. She taught me moves, made me repeat them, and made me do them faster. I learned many moves in one 'set,' as she called it, and I could only learn a new one when I could gracefully and flawlessly preform the previous. Since I had a slight dancing background, the moves were not hard for me to learn.

Everytime I ran, someone came with me since I had to run in the Makai. Apparently it was too dangerous for me to be alone. It was soon discovered that Yusuke and Kuwabara could not keep up with me. I was by no means fast, but I was head-strong and did what I was told without stopping or walking, even if it meant literally collapsing later on. Kurama ran with me most of the time. He always ran directly beside me and seemed to sense when I was about to speed up or slow down. I could never lose him. We never talked, but after a time, the silence between us became companionable and bearable. However, I liked it when Hiei ran with me the best. He ran in the trees around me when I ran in the woods, leaving me to run through the paths by myself. It gave me a sense of freedom, in a way. Even though I knew he was always watching me, I always felt like I was alone. Knowing both of those feelings made me relax more.

The class, as most classes are, was boring. Very boring. But I, as I always did, took notes and forced myself to pay attention. I was a better student than she had expected and often finished the studies early. It was hell, but I somehow kept myself awake every evening.

It didn't take me long to realize that not only had I signed a contract for pain, I'd signed one for exhaustion too.

* * *

Gym class memories...@.@...oh the horror, the inhumanity...*dies*


	9. Only the Beginning

Haha, tricked you guys!

Unless you didn't feel like reviewing that last chapter…in which case I can't blame you, because I hated it... 

No, really. What I actually did was take down that first page of story notes and incorporate the ones I still needed into the first chapter, therefore downsizing the story by a chapter while at the same time adding a new one.

Sorry I haven't been posting; I've been trying to get stuff down for 'The Truth' and finally finished posting the sucker. TGIF! (Thank God I'm Finished!)

Tenika Dargan – I guess I didn't fool you! ^.~ That's okay, at least you reviewed. *sweatdrop* I've never actually worn a kimono either, but a friend of mine had a Japanese exchange student and she wore one once; I got my ideas from her. Thanks for reviewing!

I hope this chapter's better…

* * *

Four months later I was stronger, faster, and practicing one-on-one with Genkai. I'd actually started the latter two months previous, but I hadn't been any good until the present. With nothing else to do at the temple but talk to the boys, all I'd done was practice and train, practice and train, practice and train...

Until one night. 

That evening we were in the living room, me looking over notes from my class, and the others either talking or watching television. I was sharing a lazey-boy with Hiei. I looked up with a frown, then noticed Genkai watching me. Someone suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke, and I jumped slightly, accidentally dropping my notes on the couch. I automatically went to pick them up, but eyes watching me made me jerk my hand back like I had touched scalding water. I glanced back up at the figure, who was sitting on air and sucking on...a pacifier? _This must be Koenma_, I thought uncertainly. 

"Geez! You know, Koenma, you could always warn us before just showing up like that!" Yusuke snapped from a new position of almost sitting on Kuwabara. I smiled. 

"Hello to you too, Yusuke," the toddler said with a snort. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Wallace. I am the Great Koenma." I nodded, a half-bow, even though I knew who he was. "I have good news for most of you. The gateways are up and running. We had to repair hundreds, but they all function properly except for one." 

_Most of you? Who else would the gateways being open be bad for?_ A quick survey revealed a happy Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke, Genkai was grinning, and beside me Hiei...looked stoned. Utterly stoned. He started slightly and blinked rapidly, noticed me looking at him, and let his eyes catch with mine. I forced my dismay away and looked back to the young god before us. 

"Which gateway?" Genkai asked. 

"The one they tried to use before coming to the temple." His slanted eyes opened. "And I would love to know exactly what happened to it." His brown gaze pinned me to the spot. 

My heart hammered in my chest, but I didn't breathe. _Where do I start?_ "Well, we were running from a large group of demons, and Hiei took me to the gateway. He went to cut it to open it," a quick nod from Kurama reassured me that I was right, "and he just sorta froze. Then the portal showed up-"

"Showed up?" Koenma cut in. 

"Yeah. It was like a huge whitish oval. Then it got cracks in it, and a black liquid oozed out from the lines. It leaked down the portal, and the thing began to disappear where the black touched it, like it was eroding or something. It melted back into scenery - I could see trees and grass again in the holes. Then the entire thing just...disappeared." 

"Disappeared?" 

I blinked. "M-hm. I couldn't see it anymore." 

"What happened after that?" 

Why did it matter? I told him what happened to the gateway. "I...pulled Hiei away from it. I guess he was unconscious because he fell against me. A demon showed up and cut the space he'd been in before. I moved, he moved, and I fell down because he weighs a lot. We barely missed being decapitated. I screamed, Kurama showed up, killed the demoness, and Hiei woke up a few moments later." 

"Hiei, what did it feel like when you stabbed it?" Koenma asked, floating to sit on the floor. 

"Getting hit by lightning." 

"Becca, what did you feel when you grabbed him?" 

"If you've ever touched a hot wire fence, you'll know. I even heard a snap when I grabbed his shoulders," I said flatly, the memory making my fingers twitch. 

"Interesting." Koenma looked at us like he would a piece of art. 

I glanced at Hiei, who glanced at me, and realized he'd never heard the whole story of what had happened. I snuck a peek at Koenma, then looked back to Hiei. He showed no emotion, but he was sitting too still. 

"What's interesting?" I asked skeptically. 

"That both of you lived." 

"What?!" many voices chorused. 

"I could see it hurting Hiei, but Becca? She didn't touch it," Yusuke asked, scratching his head. 

"It doesn't matter. You could line up the entire population of the human world, have the first person touch a malfunctioning gateway, and they'd all die. Humans are not meant to stand up to the power of dysfunctional portals." 

"Hiei's not human," I snorted. 

"You told her?!" Koenma yelled. 

"Yeah," Yusuke said defensively. "We told her everything." 

The god looked furious for a moment, then sighed. "You've been training. Let me see what you've learned." I frowned. Now _that_ was changing the subject. We walked outside to a clearing. "Kurama, fight her." 

"But she's-" Kurama started. 

"I know, and it doesn't matter. Just do it." 

The spirit fox and I looked at each other uncertainly as we stood before each other. _ Please please please_ please _don't hurt me_, I thought unhappily, wishing he was telepathic as well. I assumed a fighting stance, Kurama another that I'd never seen before. _Oh, shit_.

"Go on," Koenma said tiredly. 

Kurama threw a punch at me, which I ducked. _Screw offense!_ I yelled at myself as he came at me. I ducked, jumped, backed, and a various other number of things to stay away from him. It seemed to be working, but I knew I wasn't going to last very long; Kurama couldn't have been trying hard. Suddenly I hit a stance I knew very well, but it wasn't really what I needed; it was a dance move I'd learned years before. _Dance…hmmm…dance!_ I carefully switched my random movements to turn and twist in a more calculated manner. I danced my way back across the meadow, away from the forest Kurama had been forcing me into. 

"Let go," Koenma snapped as we passed in front of him. 

_Let go of what? Who's he - bloody hell¬!_ I didn't even have time to think anymore as Kurama began to move faster. I tried to do the same but lost my dance. I'd evaded him for probably fifteen seconds when his leg wrapped around mine. Too tired to care, I fell, then instinctively curled into a ball on my side, putting my arm across my exposed face. When nothing happened, I peeked around my elbow suspiciously. His hand was extended to me. I grabbed his hand and let him pull me to my feet. 

"What was that?" Kuwabara asked me. 

"What was what?" 

"What the hell were you doing?" he sputtered, gesturing towards the forest. 

I smiled faintly. "Dancing." 

"You never even tried to hit him!" Yusuke said. 

I snorted. "Even if I tried, do you think I could've? Striking at him would've left me open, and then I might've actually gotten hurt. I'm just a human. I'm no match for a demon." 

"You taught her that much defense?" Koenma asked Genkai. 

"No. She danced on her own. She knows offense, but not enough of it to be effective, especially against someone like Kurama." 

Koenma studied me. I didn't like to be an object of attention and glared at him, edging closer to Kurama. Kurama seemed to sense that and let me practically hide behind him. Finally, the godling sighed. "It's no use. She can't go back to the human world. Demons will be coming after her left and right. She has to be better trained." Hell-o. If I'd had ears, they would've perked. I didn't have to go back to Japan? I allowed myself to slide out from behind Kurama. He looked at me again. "I'm sorry, Becca, but it'll be quite some time before you can go back to your family." 

I beat down a smile and replaced it with a slightly disappointed look. "It's okay." 

"I will, however, grant you some comforts of your home. Name fifteen items, and they'll be here with you. I'll provide everything you'll need for what you choose without it being one of the ten." My throat clogged. Did he know? His glittering brown eyes told me he did. The two human boys were clearly confused, trying to figure out what the statement meant. Even Kurama and Genkai were frowning. 

"Now?" 

"Yes." 

My head reeled. "I want them back." 

"That's two." 

"I don't care." I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of nose, trying to think. "I want a copy of my home computer and the floppies with my stories." 

"Four." 

"All of my CD's and my big stereo." 

"Six." 

I hesitated, then went out a limb and asked him for my stuffed bunny and blankets in English. 

"Nine." 

"All of my clothes." 

"Ten." 

I drew blanks. "That's all I need for now. Can I still use the other five later?" 

He nodded. "You understand, for this, you will continue your training." 

"Of course." 

"In the morning, everything you asked for will be with you in concordance." 

My heart was hammering, and I was grinning uncontrollably. "Thank you, Koenma." 

I hardly slept at all that night, but finally lost it around four in the morning. 

* * *

Hmmm…what did Becca wish for? Let's just say there's going to be some 'self-insertion' of two of my favorite…things?...not friends; actually, they're not people at all. Have a hunch? *stifles insane giggle*

Charlie's gonna be home by next week! Happy days!! *runs outside, falls on the ice. again.* 


	10. When It Rains, It Pours

Ack! *hides* So very sorry! Play practice has been a bear!

CHARLIE'S HOME!! *hip-hip horray!*

Tenika Dargan - Glad I made your day! I like making people happy. ^.^ I actually thought the whole fight thing was pushing the Mary-Sue limits, but then I had her get beat, so I guess it's not so bad...

I don't like this chapter, but...it's here anyway. The end doesn't make much sense, and there's a bit of Yukina-bashing, even though I love her to bits. ("Have fun with birds and bees!") That'll change, though. Later.

* * *

"_REBECCA WALLACE!!_" 

I jumped nearly a foot off the bed at the yell. Something dropped out of my grasp, and I saw Fufu hit the ground just before I noticed I was being strangled by two small squares of fabric. I squealed and retrieved my stuffed bunny, removed my nooses and held them tightly, crooning, then looked around. My computer was on a desk, my boom box on a filing cabinet. Remembering what had woken me up, I quickly put my night-time securities on the bed and ran down the stairs, pajamas and all, then out the front door. I ran past a large fence that hadn't been there the night before, and in it... 

"Oh my God!" I shrieked. Two heads lifted. "2K! Tomahawk!" A piercing whinny split the air, followed by a low grunting as my mare attempted the sound. I ran to and vaulted over the fence, nearly getting stepped on as the two horses crowded me. I hugged and petted and pampered while noticing what shitty condition they were in. 

Both were skinnier than I'd ever seen them, including from when I'd gotten them. "They said they'd take care of you," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes while revenge stirred in my chest. "They promised." It was then I noticed they were clean. 2K had shoes, and Tomahawk's feet were trimmed. Their halters were nice. 2K was wearing her fly mask and fly bands on her legs. They _had_ been taken care of. But why were they so damn thin? I ran my hands over both of them. There wasn't any excessive heat or swellings; they weren't sick. 

"Here," Genkai said tightly from my side, shaking me from my reverie and handing me a note. 

I smiled cheekily and took it, whispering to myself as I read it over. "Owners tried to take care of them, but they wouldn't eat. Said they missed you. Koenma." I looked up at them. Well, they were alive, at any rate. "You dipshits!" I snapped. "Just because I rescued you doesn't mean you can't _live_ without me!" Tomahawk whickered, and I resigned with a smile. "Fine." I walked quickly to the middle of the corral and looked around. I heard the muffled clopping of hooves, and moments later my horses were right beside me again. But I'd seen enough. 

Set further back from the temple was a barn. The corral we were in led to the backs of two stalls. I smiled and walked up to it, both horses following me into the stall I went into. I sighed and shook my head, then left the stall, closing it quickly. I looked around. There were four stalls and two extra rooms. One was filled with grain of all sorts, even kinds I'd never used. _Interesting_. I looked into the other room and flipped. It contained both my saddles, bridles, and other horse care equipment that I'd had before. That left one thing missing. I went to the last unexplored door and opened it. 

"Holy shit." 

It was huge, too big for my dimensions to even try to figure. Half of this room was a huge indoor arena. The other large quarter, big enough for a two-story house with a basement, was crammed full with hay. Half was alfalfa, the other grass. The other half of the room was a huge mound of sawdust. "Yes, yes, yes," I whispered, returning to the tack room. I took my black lead rope and tied Tomahawk to the stall they were in, then went in and led 2K to the other stall, tying her to the front of it. I closed 2K's back stall door and went back around to do the same to Tomahawk's, then let them off their leads. I gave them some grass hay, a cup of sweet feed, and filled up their buckets with water. 

They ate. 

*

Yusuke eyed them warily. "You asked for horses." 

"They're mine, and you were the one who wanted to see them. The white one's Tomahawk and the spotted one's 2K." 

"Towarawk?" he echoed dumbly. 

I smirked. "Tom. A. Hawk." My short horse whickered, and I laughed. "Sorry, bub..." 

"Okay! Now that was not what you just called him!" the boy accused. 

"'Bub' is just a nickname for buddy. It's just a nick-name." 

He wrinkled his nose. "Right." 

I sighed and shook my head, letting myself into Tomahawk's stall and opening the back door. I walked around to 2K's and opened it. The horse nickered and swung her head a few times, hesitating. "Come on. 'S okay," I crooned softly. She stepped towards me, saw she wasn't going to hit the door, and walked out into the pasture. 

"What's on her face?" Yusuke called. 

"It's a fly mask. She's going blind, and the discharge the disease creates attracts flies," I replied automatically. "Go on. Shoo," I scolded, waving my hands at Tomahawk. The gelding startled, then swung his head around and cantered off, 2K hesitating before following him uncertainly. 

"They mean a lot to you," the Detective decided. 

I didn't turn around. "They're my life." 

"And you're theirs," a new voice said quietly. 

I closed my eyes with a smile. "You're never wrong, are you, Kurama?" 

*

Later that same day, I was dozing after lunch when something got my attention. I sighed and sat up, noticing that Kurama was standing and staring out the front window. Suddenly he smiled. "The girls are here." 

My heart picked up speed. I didn't want to meet new people. 

"Yukina, my love!" Kuwabara shrieked, and my head jerked back ala hoochie-momma style at his squealing tone. He jumped off of the chair he was sitting in and barely remembered he had to _open_ the door before he could run through it. I could hear his ecstatic yelling getting slightly dimmer, and it was about that time I realized my mouth was slightly open. 

Kurama looked mortified. Yusuke's hand covered his face, and I swear I heard him growl. "We should...go say hello, guys," Kurama finally managed, and Yusuke and I got up. 

The boys slid on their shoes, but I went barefoot, as I had been doing more and more often. A slight breeze blew around us as we walked and conversed. My slightly short white tank top fluttered across my stomach, rolled-up black shorts tickled my upper thighs. It felt so damn good to wear American clothes! 

We met a group of four girls and a love-struck Kuwabara halfway up the temple steps. All seven of us stopped walking and talking at the same time. The breeze picked up a bit then, and I could feel the wind picking my hair off of my back and playing with it, but my attention at that moment was focused on the four girls before me. 

Before I could finish evaluating, or vise-versa, Yusuke interrupted, completely oblivious to the traditional stare down. "Hey, guys. This is Becca Wallace." 

Immediately the shortest girl, one with sea-green hair, started. "Hello! My name is Yukina; it's a pleasure to meet you!" she chirped, giving an enthusiastically bow. 

_She's the ice demon_. I put on a how-cute smile and returned the bow. "It's nice to meet you too, Yukina." 

"I'm Keiko," a girl with short brown hair said, also bowing. 

I returned it, hoping I didn't fall down the steps. _Yusuke's girlfriend_. "Nice to meet you, Keiko." 

"Shizuru," a tall, cigarette-smoking girl offered before extending her hand. 

This time my smile wasn't forced, and I returned it. We nodded at each other. 

"Oh, it's wonderful to finally meet you!" the remaining girl squealed. She had blue hair and pink eyes. She grabbed both my hands. "My name's Botan, and I was supposed to take you back to Earth, although that did rather fall through, don't you think? Poor dear, you're probably so homesick!" 

My head was spinning. I managed a smile. "No, actually, I'm not." 

She went on. "No matter, no matter; we'll have you home in a jiffy!" 

_Now_ my eyes widened, and my body tensed. 

"She's actually being trained by Genkai right now, Botan," Kurama said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shot him a wild-eyed glance, and even though he wasn't looking at me, he squeezed my shoulder gently. "Koenma won't let her go back until she's extremely well-trained." 

The girl pouted. "That's dreadful!" 

"Actually, it's rather fun," I put in. She released my hands but chattered ceaselessly all the way back to the temple. 

"Oh!" Yukina gasped and pointed to our right. "What...what's that?" 

I smiled. "It's a barn. Koenma gave it to me along with the horses." 

"Hors...es," she echoed, then frowned cutely at me. "What's a horses?" 

"Horses is plural of the word horse," I said, then whistled sharply. Almost immediately Tomahawk cantered up to the fence, which was a ways back from the walkway we were on. Seconds later, 2K came trotting, running into Tomahawk before the wooden fence. "Those are the horses." 

Yukina's eyes were huge. "They're so...big!" She looked up at me. "Can we go closer?" 

"Of course." _Why not?_ I walked up to the fence, Yukina following me timidly. Tomahawk nickered, and 2K gave her damnedest to echo it. Yukina whimpered and froze. "It's okay; it's just their way of greeting me. You can pet them." She stared at me incredulously as I walked up to the fence and rubbed Tomahawk's head. He pressed against my hand as I found an itch that needed scratching. I glanced down to my right and saw Yukina, whose hand was centimeters away from 2K's nose. "Two," I crooned gently. Her ears perked, and she stuck her muzzle forward, bumping it into Yukina's hand. They both started, but 2K persisted on being pampered, and she quickly found the hand again even in her blindness. Tomahawk's eyes were closed as I rubbed his forehead, and Yukina was touching my mare's nose uncertainly. 

"Do they...have names?" 

"This is Toma-hawk. That's 2K," I said, saying their names slowly. 

"Toemhawk...Tomahawk. 2K," she said, concentrating heavily on trying to reproduce their names. 

I paused in my petting of the gelding to scratch my arm and suddenly found myself on the receiving end of a lick. "Awwgh! Tomahawk!" I gasped, staring at my sticky shoulder in slight disgust. As I stared, he did it again. "Tomahawk, no!" I scolded, wiping at the sticky slobber with my shirt. "**You dork**!" I added in English, glaring at him. "**The hell was that for, huh?**" I asked, tapping him on his soft nose. 

"What?" Yukina asked uncertainly. 

I smiled in embarrassment. "Sorry. Sometimes I lapse into English for no reason." 

"I'll say!" Yusuke declared from somewhere behind us. 

"Shut up!" 

*

"What are those?" 

_Either she's a big two year-old or just plain stupid_, I thought uncomfortably. "Glasses." 

"What are they for?" 

"I have poor sight, and they help me see like normal people." 

"So, you can't see if you take them off?" 

"I can't see very well," I corrected. 

"Can I help you?" she asked perkily, kneeling in front of me. 

"Uhhh...sure?" I was more than a little confused and more than a little distracted as Yusuke snickered. I threw a throw pillow at him. 

"Hold still." Yukina's hands touched the sides of my head near my eyes. Something felt weird, like it was becoming warmed and connected, then... 

"Aw, damnit!" I hissed. She dropped her hands, looking concerned. I whipped my glasses off and shoved my thumb and pointer finger into my closed eyes. I shook my head, clearing the snapping pain, then opened my eyes again. I had to do a double-take as everything I saw I saw...perfectly. I glanced down at my glasses, decided against it, and studied a plaque across the room. I could read it. "Wow." _This is better than contacts! _ "Thanks, Yukina." 

She beamed, and for some reason, my heart warmed. "Let me see your hands," she chirped. 

I set my glasses down and offered them to her uncertainly. She gently grabbed my wrists, and I almost drew them back at the slight pain. The pain was there a lot; it was medium-carpal tunnel from repetitive typing. Warmth seeped through them, and the continuous aching that I'd come to live with stopped. Yukina let go, and I flexed my fingers. It didn't hurt. I stared at her in surprise. "You're good." 

Her hands clapped together. "Oh, you're so much fun; I only get this much practice when the boys get into fights! Here!" 

As Yukina put her hands on my face again, I swore I'd never seen a person so happy. I wasn't sure what she was after, but I suddenly remembered my allergies. One of her hands touched my chest, right over my heart, and stopped the slight murmur that was the cause of so much interest at hospitals. Air came easier to my lungs, even though I'd never noticed a lack thereof before. Her hands went to my ankles, healing the weakness hidden there. She looked me over critically, then giggled. "There. Good as new!" 

I put my hand over my chest. _One...two...three...one_... There was no half beat. I bent over and hugged the demon-girl. "Thank you." 

* * *

Hope it didn't stink too bad! Reviews are nice! *hint hint* 


	11. Big City Nights

**MAY 31 – Rating change – After watching Major Payne and doing some major thinking, I decided that if that movie could be PG-13, than this story could be too. It's mostly just sparse cursing in here anyway; nothing too terribly major. If you feel inclined to disagree, please let me know, and I'll move the rating up. If you've seen Major Payne, I would appreciate it if you would also let me know your opinion on this. Thanks, everyone!**

Sorry I haven't updated! I had a play at the school and the last three or four weeks have been HELL! Ugh, I am so tired of acting right now it's not even funny! And just now my computer decides to be a butt, so I have to use Word to upload instead of converting the stupid page to HTML! pulls out hair

Anyway.

Tenika Dargan – Thanks! And I know what you mean; I'm one of those people! 

don't know - That is a wonderful idea and I never thought of it…go figure, ne? Thanks!

ssjmystic2000 – Eep! Sorry, here's your update, even though it's quite a bit later than intended…

Thanks for reading, everyone!

* * *

Two months later, I got up at six-thirty instead of seven after a night of almost no sleep. I was so excited I almost didn't brush my incredibly long hair. I ran out of the temple and to the barn, surprising 2K and Tomahawk, but they whinnied anyway.

"Shush!" I giggled, leading Tomahawk out of his stall and tying him up in the aisle. I brushed him quickly, then brought my saddle out of the tack room. He whickered at it and began prancing. "Hold still," I scolded with a huge smile, putting on the blanket before the black western gaming saddle. I tightened his cinch, then climbed on. With a soft, irritated groan, I slid off to lower my stirrups. After that, I put on his bridle and led him outside to an outdoor arena. I tightened his cinch again, then had to jump onto him, for he tried to run off. "No."

He reared, and I leaned forward, standing in my stirrups.

"Tomahawk!" I slapped his neck when he landed, then forced him to walk and trot in figure eights for five minutes. He was angry, chomping his bit and tossing his head the entire time. Finally, I stopped him, kissed loudly, and leaned forward.

He hopped slightly, then took off so hard I almost got whiplash.

This was what I'd been missing.

Tomahawk was an ex-racehorse, and his speed...by everything holy, he was faster than any horse I'd ever seen, besides the racing thoroughbreds - even though all my friends knew he could give them a run for their money.

I tied his reins around the saddle horn and held my arms out straight as the almost-pony ran like hell was on his heels. I clicked to him, and he went faster. I let a moment pass, then clicked again. He went faster. I paused, then clicked. It was like changing gears - he went faster. I let it go at that; the last thing I needed was for him to founder. After a minute of the extreme sprint, I felt him slow slightly to a still-mad dash. I closed my eyes, keeping my arms out to practice my balance. I slid my feet out of my stirrups, gripping tightly with my knees and thighs. _This...is heaven._

This was what I lived for; this heart-pounding exhilaration, breath-ripping freedom.

We ran for a long time. I eventually put my feet into my stirrups and untied my reins. Mom had often said and I'd noticed that, once given the opportunity, he'd never stop running. He was sweating, foaming at the mouth, and heaving for breath, but still he fought me when I tried to make him stop. He slammed his dished head from side to side, lunged forward, and shot left to right in protest. His bit was harsh, however, and I eventually had him settled into his beautiful prancing gait. He arched his neck, chomped his bit, and flagged his tail as he delicately pranced along, waiting to be let go again. I had no such intention, however, and let him prance himself out. When he gave up, he slid into a walk, and I walked him back to the barn. 

After I'd untacked him, I was turning on the hose when a familiar voice assailed me. "He's amazing."

"I know," I said quietly, turning on the water. "Easy," I told him as I splashed water on Tomahawk's ankles. He snorted, stepping away from the water and beginning to dance. I sighed.

"Does he always run like that?"

"Whenever I let him. I've never had such a large place to run him before, so that's certainly the longest we've ever ran so fast." As I talked, I walked, chasing the tied gelding as my patience would allow.

"You weren't holding on."

"No. I don't like to."

"He was rearing before."

"I trust him."

"You don't trust the boys." I paused, looking over at Shizuru, who was leaning cigarette-less against a stall door. Her brown eyes watched me calmly, curiously. My breath hitched, and I went back to rinsing off Tomahawk. I was about to say something when she beat me to it. "Why?"

"I don't...know anything about them. I don't know what they want to do with me, why I'm still here. They won't tell me who or what I am or if I'm anything at all. This is all like some weird dream that I never wake up from. If I didn't see them practice from time to time, I'd think all the crap I'm fed isn't real." I walked forward and squeegeed some water off of Tomahawk with my hand, standing on tip-toe to touch behind his ears. He was still hot. I lowered the hose to his legs and small chest.

"They probably don't know either."

"Genkai does. I know she does. Sometimes, when we train...she looks at me in a certain way. As if she's measuring my progress and comparing it to something. But..." my voice trailed off, and I didn't try to chase after it.

"But?"

Why did I feel like I could talk to Shizuru like this? I looked at her. She reminded me of someone, but who? My memory bank brought up and image of an older, dear friend of mine that had passed away only a year prior to our moving to Japan. My throat burned momentarily, the first hint of my crying, and I beat it away by accidentally spraying myself with the hose. "Never mind."

"Come on, Rebecca; tell me," she said lightly. It took me a second, but I started and stared at her in surprise. She smiled mischievously. "I took English for seven years."

I smiled. It had been so long since someone called me by my real name. My smile died. "It's like she's never satisfied. Whatever I'm supposed to be I'm not. I do what she tells me to do and do my best, but it never seems to be enough."

"You're good at reading people's body language, aren't you?"

"One of the best." She laughed. "It's true," I scolded lightly, turning off the hose and picking up a sweat scraper. I glanced at my watch. It was seven fifteen. "Crap," I muttered.

"Oh, yeah. I was supposed to tell you. We're all going into Tokyo today at nine. Genkai's got some meeting or another and refuses to leave us here alone."

The sweat scraper hit the ground, and I quickly picked it up. "I don't want to go."

"Nobody would recognize you."

"That's not why I care." My words were clipped, and I was getting a 'tone.' She didn't answer, and I continued to dry off Tomahawk. When I was slightly satisfied, I led him outside and tied him to his stall door so he could dry off in the sun. As I set about to cleaning his stall, Shizuru walked over to 2K and began petting her.

"She said you'd say that. She also said you're going. It's a part of your training. Obedience."

My grip on the pitchfork tightened, and I didn't reply. I always, always, always tried to get the last word in, so to show I wasn't beaten, but the words I wanted to say were to Genkai and not Shizuru. An ugly knot of anger made my stomach hurt, and my body was on auto-pilot as my mind screamed.

"Look, kid, it's no big deal. Just an hour or two," the beautician said, and I recognized the word 'kid' to be a type of reassurance.

I growled.

She waited around with me as I finished Tomahawk's stall, put more sawdust in, filled his water bucket, let 2K out, cleaned her stall, put more sawdust in, filled her water bucket, untied Tomahawk, fed them, and locked their stall doors. She walked with me back to temple, left me to sit on the couch as I stormed into the kitchen, wolfing down some breakfast. 

I stalked up the stairs and resisted the urge to slam the door, locking it harshly instead. I threw my pillow across the room as hard as I could, and it landed perfectly in my closet. I threw some shirts, forced myself to calm down, and glanced at the clock. It was eight fifteen. I went into the bathroom. I washed my face and my bangs, then pulled on a pair of tight bell-bottom jeans that required either no underwear or a thong. I hated plumber's crack with a passion, so you won't have to guess which option I chose. Searching through my closet, I chose a pretty, form-fitting white top that said something about a 'paradise lounge' and had a picture of a coconut on it. I slapped on some deodorant, pulled on my purple-black Adidas tennis shoes, and went about putting on make-up for the first time in nearly nine months. 

I chose my favorite blue eye shadow that would turn a beautiful electric purple after a couple of hours of wear. I put on some non-clumpy mascara that 'expanded and darkened' your lashes and black eyeliner along my bottom lids and was about to put on beige-cream concealer powder when I realized I was too dark for the color. I paused and blinked. Since when was I so tan? I leaned forward and 'huuumed' to myself, then shrugged and put on some 'strawberry-n-cream' lip gloss that looked beautiful but smelled and tasted like shit. I put on hoop earrings, then pulled the top layer of my hair back into a clip. I sniffed and shook my head, staring at myself in the mirror again. Going out in Tokyo dressed like this would be like a Japanese wearing a kimono on the streets of New York City. Like I care.

"Becca! We're leaving in five!" Yusuke yelled.

"Sure!" I called back, wrinkling my nose. I pulled out some perfume and squirted it on my neck. I inhaled deeply and allowed myself to close my eyes. This stuff was the best of the best. _Thank goodness for Moonlight Path_, I thought sarcastically. I sat on my bed and pouted until I got my final warning – 

"Becca! Come _on_!" Kuwabara complained.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I snapped, trotting to my door and fiddling with my bangs as I trotted down the stairs. I was cross-eyed trying to mess with them by the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, but even with my attention diverted, I could feel them staring at me. And why not? Now they have a reason. I'd never dressed up or worn make-up around them; I looked very different.

Genkai, pretending to be unfazed by my appearance, handed us each the equivalent of forty American dollars in yen to spend if we so desired. Last minute news had told her we'd be in town for at least three hours. We headed towards the doors, and I balked an inch of stepping through them. I went into the Ningenkai everyday to take care of the horses, but today it felt different. I didn't want to go. I wasn't going through them to take care of the horses - I was going through them to go to the city. Hell no!

Yusuke, behind me, hadn't expected me to stop and ran into me, forcing me forward.

"Sorry," he said lightly, returning to his conversation with Kuwabara.

Every step I took I was fighting. I fought with myself, let my conscious attack its sides, while my doe-like eyes returned to normal and hardened. I was still fighting my inner battle when I heard the city noise. I scowled vehemently and would've turned around if Shizuru hadn't chosen that moment to start talking to me.

* * *

It'll get better, I promise; this part of the story just drags a bit. Feedback is welcome. Thanks a bunch! 


	12. Adventures in Tokyo

I'm so sorry, anyone who's still reading this! I'm not going to try to make excuses, but I do apologize! And yes, the story is still in a bit of a drag, but there's only five chapters to go!

Riath – Thanks! No, I'm not as cool as Becca. Unfortunately, there will be some romance, but not much. Thanks for the review!

Gambit's Panther – I'm sorry, I've already paired Becca up! And I'll get back to you on the human part when I figure it out myself…[oops!] Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Noises got louder, and soon we were at the outskirts of town. I stomped my first step on the sidewalk and kicked any rock or trash in my way. As we got into the heart of the city, I avoided contact with people and stared pointedly at the ground. Genkai said something, and I saw her slippers moving away as the others stayed put. My mind was burning with fury when - "Becca? Are you okay?" - and Yukina's worried red eyes were staring up into mine. 

Aw, shit. I had the little princess worried. "I'm fine, Yukina," I lied as lightly as I could, straightening my posture to prove my point. 

"Are you sure?" 

_No_. "Yes." 

They argued over what to do. I noticed Hiei looked almost as pissed off as me. They decided on something, but I wasn't listening. I followed them. They kept talking. We entered a book store. 

"Be back here in fifteen minutes," Kurama said, gesturing at the doors. 

I _did_ hear that, and walked off moodily to the graphic novel area. The selections were endless, but I settled for a title I knew and picked up the latest edition I'd remembered reading. Standing with my weight on my left hip, I felt vaguely secure in my old habit of reading before buying. I head low voices and looked up, gaze pointedly overshooting a small group of jock-equivalent boys who kept looking my way. I slid my attention back to my novel and played innocent, adopting a transfixed look while playing with my hair with my left hand. After a moment I turned so that I could lean against the bookshelves, a gesture that looked like one for comfort but was actually so I could watch those boys. Raising my eyes slightly, I watched one of them take off their varsity jacket and hand it a teammate, probably trying to show that he and two others who were standing to one side were not together. Instinct told me to get away, to find Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, or even Hiei, but for some reason I didn't move. 

One of the boys wearing a school jacket walked over to the book row I was leaning against, not looking at me as he went by, and settled for picking up a novel some four feet to my right. I ignored him. A few minutes the later the boy without a jacket came to the shelf and stayed around the same distance from me as the other guy, only on my left. I ignored him, too. The third walked to the bookshelves across the aisle, directly in front of me. I noticed the two boys on either side of me gradually getting closer and finally decided to get away. I closed my novel and set it on the shelf behind my right shoulder. No way I was turning around to put it on the bottom shelf where it belonged. The only route of escape was between the boy on my right and the one in front of me. I pulled myself upright and started to walk, getting my expression calm, if not content. 

The boy on my right suddenly moved to block me. 

"What's the rush, sugar?" he asked in a pleasant voice. 

I glared at him. "I have P.M.S., a black belt in karate, and need to use the bathroom. Don't mess with me." Lies come easy when you're scared. 

He looked almost uncertain and relaxed slightly, which let his guard down. 

Taking advantage of the moment, I hauled back and slugged him as hard as I physically could, surprising both of us by knocking him to the floor. 

His posse yelled in outrage and came at me. I kicked, struck, bit and punched, somehow keeping them away from me while at the same time beating them up fairly badly. Even as I realized my last thought, an arm wrapped around my stomach, pulling me back. The boys didn't come after me and looked rather relieved. 

"Becca! What happened?" Kurama demanded. 

"They tried to kidnap me," I replied, but it was an auto-pilot response. I was astonished. Were those boys really so pathetic? Could they not fight? 

"Is this true?" Kurama snapped at the boy I had first punched as he tried to sit up. 

"Why...ow...-" 

"Is it true?" Man, Kurama could be scary when he wanted something... 

"Y-yes." 

"I could have you reported for attempted abduction." 

"And I could have her reported for assault! That bitch-"

"Was acting in self-defense. _You_ were not." 

The boy picked himself off of the floor, glaring accusingly at us, and mumbled for his crew to head out. My eyes were large as I watched them shuffle out, apparently unable to go any faster. 

Kurama turned me around, hands on my shoulders, and looked ready enough to lecture me. He looked at me, however, and sighed, sweeping my hair over my shoulder instead. "At least humans are no longer a problem for you." 

"Kurama...did I really...how..." I whispered haltingly, rubbing my right arm. This was too weird. How could I beat up a group of _jocks_ and emerge unscathed? 

He was silent a moment, then smiled a little. "You're stronger now." His hands clapped my shoulders gently. "You'll understand eventually, even if you can't see it right away." 

I nodded. He turned and left. I took a step after him and stopped, looking over the graphic novels again. When fifteen minutes passed, I bought four, spending a fourth of my money. I played with my bag and tuned the others out as we walked. Things crashed and beeped, as things will do in a city, and I started and jumped periodically, as I was prone to do. Most people would've said it was nerves, but I was always like this, and I was not a high-strung person. 

If I would've been paying attention, I might've heard Hiei join in a conversation. I blinked as were in front of an ice cream parlor. Habitually I ordered a chocolate dish, but as we sat outside, I ignored it and instead went about shredding my napkin. 

By the time someone poked me in the shoulder, the pieces were about as big as glitter specks. I glanced -down- at Hiei. "Are you gonna eat that?" he asked, looking to my chocolate ice cream. 

"No." I pushed the slightly melted sweet to him, and he took it with a mumbled thanks. At about that time, a gust of wind blew, taking my napkin pieces with it. Now, at this point in a story, many writers would've said something poetic, like, 'I wish I was those pieces of paper, wild and free, with nothing to hold me down,' but I opted against it. One, I didn't truly know what freedom was and was too used to taking orders to want to not have them; two, the wind would stop blowing eventually, and then where would I be; and three, the second it rained, I would melt. I hummed gently to myself. 

When everyone finished their ice cream, the girls (without my help) talked the boys into going to the mall. I scowled at hearing that word. I hated the mall. I stalked around angrily for nearly an hour before accidentally meeting up with Yusuke. 

His brown eyes softened as he plopped down beside me on the bench. "You're really having a miserable time, aren't you?" 

"Hmph...I guess that's one way to put it." 

"What would you like to do?" 

_Go home_. I sighed. "Nothing." 

"There's nothing you want to do? See?" 

"Don't worry about it," I said softly. 

"Are you sure?" 

"M-hm." 

"Okay," he said uncertainly, then glanced at his watch. "We should go to the entrance." 

"Could you keep up with me if I walked fast?" I asked, looking around at the huge mobs of people. 

"Yeah," he said, looking at me funny. 

I smirked to myself. Finally. I tightened my grip on my bags, then stepped out fast. Yusuke kept up with me for a moment, but we hit a large crowd of people, and I began to walk even faster as I wove expertly through the throng. Shopping with me was hell on the holidays, I'd always been told. But my friends had always been able to keep up and beside me, more or less because we'd learned our skills in the same place. I heard the boy yelp, then lost all trace of him as I made my way to the doors of the mall. 

I saw Kurama's hair through a break in people and pranced my way through them to him, Keiko, Yukina, and Shizuru. I snarled an obscenity to a group of people, who paused to stare at me, and I took that opportunity to squeeze my way through. I shook my hair back over my shoulders and pulled my bangs back down. 

Yusuke was the last to arrive, and he stared at me in disbelief. "How...the hell...do you do that?" 

I smiled. "When you're around senior boys three times taller than you, you learn to move fast when the lunch bell rings." 

He groaned. "I swear! I've never seen a person walk so fast!" 

"Oh, you should see me around the holiday crowds," I said, staring at my nails. 

He stared at me stupidly as we left the mall. 

I stared up at the sky, as was a habit of mine every time I left a building, even though I didn't know why. Peering west, I frowned slightly. "Gonna rain," I whispered, watching the too-blue sky with uncertainty. 

"Hm?" Kurama asked, peering at me kindly. 

I hesitated, then gave up my pretense with a sigh. "It's going to rain," I said in a low tone. 

He cocked his head to one side. "How can you tell?" I pointed westward. He inhaled deeply, then shook his head. "I don't smell anything, and it's sunny." 

"Not everything is what it seems," I replied, proud of my mysterious answer. 

"We still have an hour and a half," Keiko announced uncertainly, completely oblivious (along with everyone else) about my prediction. "What else can we do?" 

"We...uh...could...mmm...go....see a movie?" Kuwabara guessed, scratching his head. 

"What's out? Damn, we've been stuck in the Makai so long..." Yusuke mused. 

"There's a thriller-comedy that's gotten high reviews," Keiko replied, trying to think. "I think it's called 'Night Rose' or something." 

Comedy? Comedy?! Hell, if it was comedy, I was there! Hilarity and laughs were things I looked forward to most in life. I remained quiet, and as I suspected, they agreed on it. We walked a block to the nearest theater and had ten minutes to spare after we bought tickets. We all totally splurged out on popcorn, candy, and soda. 

There was us and two other much smaller groups. Had I been in America, my friends and I would've started a popcorn war, but people here in Japan didn't do such things unless they knew each other, so I refrained. We all sat in the same row, starting with Shizuru, then Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, Yusuke, myself, Kurama, and Hiei. Hiei, after an explanation of what a movie was and several warnings that it was not real, looked perplexed. I drank half my coke through the previews alone (as I was prone to do) and had to run to get a refill before the movie started. 

Not even a half an hour into the movie we were rolling. Even Hiei was laughing, though not as hard as the rest of us. I was glad he was getting it. It would've been no fun for Kurama if he'd had to explain every little joke to him. The movie had a good plot, and a couple of 'loose' characters reminded me of Jack Sparrow from the movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'

A fourth of the way through the movie I'd drank all my coke and was sharing Kurama's with him. We had no qualms about it, and I was reminded of the time my diet coke had went from mine to a community drink with eight of my friends. Half-way through the movie I had to go pee like you wouldn't believe and bounced my legs to keep myself occupied. Kurama noticed my predicament and shook his head with a large smile. The fact that I was laughing so damn hard, coupled with several explosions in the movie that shook the theater, put me into an almost painful state. 

When it was over I was the first one out of the room. 

We met up at the restrooms. As we waited and walked, we were all laughing and giggling and reciting some of the many catch-phrases and one-liners in giddy states of sugar-overload intake. Though I had done so around them, I'd never seen Hiei laugh, and it made _me_ laugh all the more. He was about as childishly cute as Yukina. Which...led to something I'd noticed the moment I'd met the ice apparition. 

Call me crazy, but...they looked alike. 

I mean, hypothetically, they both had red eyes, both were short. I'd heard Yukina talk of still looking for her brother. I'd seen Hiei get pissed when she got upset, saw how his hand jumped to his katana every time the littlest thing startled him when she was around, the look of relief in his eyes when she'd arrived after the gateway incident... 

When we turned the corner, I was pleased to notice it was raining heavily. Kurama's eyes widened, and he looked at me in confusion. I was, however, _not_ pleased to see Genkai waiting for us at the doors. My laughter and mirth reached a record-breaking grinding halt. I was even in the middle of a laugh and stopped so hard I squeaked, which everyone else found incredibly funny until they saw something'd startled me out of it. We followed Genkai out of the theater. 

I went back to tuning people out as we were led to three taxis. I really don't know what happened, but I somehow wound up in a taxi with Hiei and Yukina, the girl of which was in the middle. I guess it was the rain and excitement, for Yukina made quick work of falling asleep on Hiei's shoulder. Sliding down in my seat, I pretended not to notice Hiei's surprised discomfort and continued to do so even as he relaxed and rested his head against hers. 

I shifted and loosened my seatbelt after realizing the taxi driver, like most, was going to take us on an unnecessarily long round-about route back to the temple. A nerve in my elbow pinched, and I rubbed it with a soft growl. This was going to be a long ride. 


	13. Return to the Temple

_NOTE: This chapter has been re-done._

The next thing I knew, the car was stopped. My eyes fluttered open, and I frowned drowsily. Why were the seats so tall? I glanced down, and blinked rapidly. Yukina's knees. What the...oh. I'd fallen asleep and landed in the girl's lap. Half of me was on her, and my head was on Hiei's leg. Which was a rather disturbing thought, and I sat up. Through the rain, I could see the temple and wished, not for the first time, that there weren't so many freaking steps.

My movement and Hiei's straightening woke Yukina, who didn't seem to realize she'd slept on Hiei's shoulder. She yawned. "Goodness! We're back already," she said cutely. I chuckled and got out. She got out on my side and Hiei his. We jogged up the stairs as Genkai paid our driver, meeting the rest of the sopping team in the temple.

I flipped off my shoes and retrieved them before running up the stairs, barely pausing long enough to shut my door, throw my bags on the bed, take down my hair, take out my earrings, and grab a change of clothes before hopping into the bathroom.

"I take it things didn't go well," Genkai said, hearing the door slam.

"Yeah they did," Kuwabara said defensively. Kurama looked uncomfortable, and Genkai was beginning to frown. Seeing that things were going to get difficult, Yukina and Keiko left the room. The others sat around.

"Well...in a way," Kurama corrected. Genkai nodded at him. "She didn't wander off, but that's about it." He paused. "She didn't say hardly a word until after the movie, predicted the rain before the sky clouded, and got into a fight."

"A fight!" many voices echoed.

"Yes. With some big high school jocks. I was watching her, as you said to, Genkai. One of the gangs tried to kidnap her, but she slugged the leader. Probably would've pounded him if his posse hadn't jumped her. I had to pull her away, but she did an amazing amount of damage for such a short amount of time, and they could barely walk out. She was troubled by what she did, as though she couldn't figure out how she'd done it."

"She doesn't realize I started her training at an advanced level," Genkai muttered, shaking her head.

"That's how she stayed away from me for so long when Koenma made us fight," he agreed.

"She must be used to knowing she's weaker than everyone around her and doesn't know how strong she really is, then," Yusuke said, having one of his rare inspirational moments.

"You're right for once, Yusuke. I knew having an advanced teacher and being surrounded by powerful demons might mess with her mind, but I didn't know just how much. Maybe I expected too much of her," Genkai sighed.

"Maybe you're not expecting enough," Shizuru scolded, pulling out a cigarette. "The kid knows how much you judge her. She's an extremely observant girl. Maybe that's why she's like she is - she knows she's not what you want. She knows she's not enough for you. Living with that knowledge, how do you think you'd react to life?"

Genkai sighed again and rubbed her eyes. "Sometimes I think I have to pound her to make her understand something, and others I completely underestimate her. There is no understanding her. She's completely unpredictable. Unorthodox. I've never met a person like her."

"At least 'Night Rose' made her laugh," Kuwabara snorted.

"Oh, that was something; her and Hiei both," Kurama said, green eyes sparkling at the memory. "But then it just...stopped. Like she realized what she was doing."

"She actually stopped when she saw you," Yusuke said flatly, looking at Genkai.

"She was pissed," Shizuru snorted, running her fingers through her hair. "I think she tuned us out the entire time. It's weird how obedient she is, though. I mean, you made her do one of the things she hates most in the world, and she did it after merely saying no twice; never rose her voice or swung a punch or anything. She did stop talking," she added as an after-thought. "But it was like she was expecting something - a blow, a threat."

"Yeah! Why won't she talk about herself?" Yusuke quipped.

"Maybe she doesn't like to be reminded of the past," Kurama said quietly.

"Well, _I_ think she needs to spill it out or it's gonna...uh...'s gonna..." Kuwabara stammered.

"Consume her. Not talking about her problems and not expressing her emotions is neither healthy nor normal, especially for a teenage human girl," Hiei finished quietly.

"Heh, you're one to talk, shorty."

A glare in his direction made Kuwabara wish he'd held his tongue.


	14. Revelations

Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I won't go into details, but some narsty stuff has happened in the past six months.

So, yeah, the story's almost over. I was re-working the rest of the chapters last night and realized that it was practically a Mary-Sue. I worked it out so that it's not quite as bad as it was, but I flinch a little; I can't believe I let it get that bad. Let me know what you think.

Reviewers:

sk8ergirl69 - I think you'll get your request...just hang on for one more chapter!

Riath - Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you liked it.

cherryblossoms21 - Thank you! I'm glad you think so!

starkitty - Yay! I'm so glad you like her! I hope you like this chapter too. 

Reiko5 - You have a very good point, but I don't think Hiei's going to get any OC loving in this story; sorry! Thank you for the review.

teardrops2m - Thanks; not many people tell me that!

* * *

As the next year and half passed, so did Yusuke's and Keiko's relationship. They (finally) figured out that they couldn't tolerate each other as anything more than friends. The older they became, however, the harder that even _that_ was becoming. Their once petty arguments had turned verbally violent, and they were no longer playing.

I'd befriended Keiko during that time because she was closer to my disposition than the others. We got along well, as compared to my waning tolerance of the Genkai. Yusuke's and Keiko's fights worried me; I didn't really want her to leave the group completely. After the couple's final blow-out, for my straying sanity and her social life, she stayed close to the temple and came to visit regularly, even if it wasn't to see Yusuke.

As for Yusuke and the boys in general, I had warmed up to them. With Kuwabara and Yusuke it was hard not to; for Kurama, it was the scant joy of teaching him to be more outgoing. Which, when given proper urging, proved to be quite successful. I'd long learned that Hiei was even more anti-social than myself, but somehow we'd struck up a companionable pact without words. The only persons he talked to more than me were Kurama and Yukina. I took delight in making him smile, and as time went on, it became easier, considering my natural dry humor was easy to convert to friendly comedy. I took care to talk to him and Kurama at the same time, getting them to talk to each other, and disappearing when they had either a deep conversation or comfortable silence going on.

Probably two years after we'd gone into Tokyo, Koenma had sent the boys out on another mission. During the time they were gone, I began a painful month of sharp depression for reasons I couldn't figure out. Towards the end of the month, I was sitting outside in the Makai, safe within the power wards, watching the clouds and laying on my back in the grass. I'd been bitchy for most of the time the boys had been gone. I made sure I was by myself when my lessons weren't going on with a passion. I'm sure the girls thought at first that I was PMSing, but that doesn't last for a month, and by the end of the second week they were getting worried. They became harder to shake off the longer I remained depressed, and I resorted to locking myself in my room inbetween training sessions. I'd hardly eaten anything in weeks and had lost nearly fifteen pounds - not good when you don't weigh that much to begin with.

So, anyway, I was laying out there and trying not to think when I heard someone approaching. I closed my eyes. The someone sat down. "You okay?"

My heart began to beat faster. It was Yusuke. I cracked an eye open and looked up at him. "Yeah. Why?"

"Yukina said you were...acting strange." He laid down beside me.

Out of his immediate sight, I closed my eye again. "I'm fine. How'd the mission go?"

"Kuwabara and Hiei got smashed pretty hard, and Kurama and myself got pretty scratched up. But we succeeded."

"Hiei?" I had a hard time believeing that.

Yusuke chuckled. "Yeah. He was so pissed he wouldn't let us near him until he passed out from blood loss. Which was, oh, two minutes after the battle at the most. Kurama's an awesome healer, and now the only thing hurting Hiei is his pride."

I was about to comment when Yusuke continued.

"Talk to me."

I glanced over at him. "About what?"

"I don't care. Whatever's bothering you, your life, whatever you feel like talking about."

"Nothing's bothering me, Yusuke."

"Then tell me about you. Dammit, I've practically _lived_ with you for two and a half years but don't know anymore about you than the day we first met!"

I was silent for awhile, thinking. I swallowed, hard, and tensed as it hit me. I understood.

I _finally_ understood.

I hadn't even realized I'd started to like Yusuke, hadn't realized when it became a one-sided love, all because I hadn't listened to my heart.

"I hate it," I said at last. "I hate it so much. Watching, wanting, but knowing I'll never be able to have what it is I want most. It hurts so badly. That feeling is the one that made me-" I caught myself. "My entire chest hurts, and life is dull, dreary, boring. The pain is the only thing I feel. Nothing makes it go entirely away because I can never have what my heart desires."

"If I didn't know any better," Yusuke said softly, "I'd say you had a broken heart."

"I don't know what it is."

"What did it make you do?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Becca." His tone had a slight edge.

"Yusuke." Mine was warning. I opened my eyes and glared over my elbow.

"Tell me."

I sighed angrily. "I just about committed suicide, okay?"

Yusuke rolled onto his side and stared down at me, eyes wide. "Why?"

"It's depression, Yusuke. It fills your head with shit."

"What...what did you try to do?" I sighed again and held out my right arm, tilting my wrist up so he could see the large white scar there. "Becca..."

"I didn't cut deep enough to hit the main artery or else I wouldn't be here." I went to pull my arm back to me, but Yusuke grabbed my hand.

"The feeling you felt then is the feeling you felt when we were gone?"

"M-hm."

"You're not going to try it again...are you?"

"I dunno."

"Please...don't." I looked up at him in surprise. He looked worried, and there was an expression in his eyes that I couldn't read. He sat up and pulled me with him. "What is it you want? Maybe Koenma can give it to you."

My eyes flew open. How could I possibly tell Yusuke that what I wanted was _him_? "Koenma can't give it to me. What I want can't be had by force. It has to be by decision only." I hesitated. "Yusuke, why do you care about all this?"

I could tell Yusuke was thinking. Then, suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed me. 

He fucking _kissed_ me!

By the time I realized what had happened, he was sitting up straight again. "Because I have feelings for you, feelings I've had for a long time now." I could tell he was absolutely serious. "I want to help you."

_Woah. This just got complicated_. My mind whirled, trying to figure out what was going on. "If you want to help me, Yusuke, you won't tell anyone about this and forget about it."

"I can do the first. But I won't forget it."

Compelled by something other than my brain, I squeezed his hand. Meeting his gaze, I smiled a little. "I think you might be able to help, Yusuke. I'm...only going to let you try because I have feelings for you too." _No way in_ hell_ I just said that_.

He smiled. "What can I do?"

"Be yourself."

"I think I can do that." He kissed me again, and this time I kissed him back. He put his forehead against mine and looked me in the eyes. "When Keiko comes back, I'll take care of it."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I smiled. _So it begins._


	15. Dark Tournament

As I leaned against the cool, smooth concrete wall, I let my eyes half-close and tuned out the roaring around me. I began to wonder, once again, how I'd gotten here. Koenma had shown up and told all of us we were 'actively participating.' Some had yelled, some had lost their ability to speak, and one nearly tossed her cookies. Yet, in the end, no matter how who reacted, the result was the same: Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and myself were fighting in another Dark Tournament. Koenma had told me not to fight, which really hadn't needed to be said; the boys were adamant about me not being in the tournament at all. 

This fight was the second of the semi-finals and would be determining who survived to go to the finals. So far the Urameshi team had won all of their fights, though not all of the rounds; we had Kuwabara and, oddly, Hiei to thank for that. Paranoia and memory made me look up. Hiei was standing closer to the ring than he had before the fight had started. He looked completely neutral, as though his bloody and sickening defeat yesterday had never happened.

I, quite frankly, still had to swallow hard at the uncomfortable memory.

I stood up in time to notice Botan close her communicator watch and run over to me. "Becca, you need to come with me," she said earnestly, grabbing my hands.

"Huh? Why?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder as Yusuke stepped up to the ring. "Botan, they're starting the last match! I can't leave now. Can't it wait?"

"No!" she cried, then shook her head to regain her sudden composure lapse. "Now."

I jerked my hands away from her and backed up. "What's going on?"

"Some of the powerful demons in the private boxes are getting suspicious." _Huh?_ "You need to come with me so I can take you back to the tem-"

"I can't just up and leave, Botan! They'll wonder where I went!"

"Becca, please-"

"If Koenma wants me to leave, he'll come down here himself and get me." _Demons I don't even know can sense what I am? And they'd try to kidnap me?_ I felt a bit uneasy but didn't let it show. Botan's pink eyes pleaded with me to change my mind, but I turned and walked to Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara.

"Kurama!" The shriek tore itself from my throat before I could stop it. The boy hit the ground, and I heard a sickening snap as he skidded to a skin-removing halt inches from me. My hands quivered as they came up to touch him, to make sure he was alive, but I couldn't enter the ring. "Kurama...do something..." I said shakily. I didn't expect or want him to win, but I wanted him to cough, to blink, to move, anything that would tell me he was alive.

"-five...six..." Juri's voice continued the count.

I looked around in panic. Hiei and Yusuke, trapped in the black spirit energy box, could only yell and power up, unable to help the fox. I could've sworn Hiei's eyes were glowing.

"-nine...ten-"

The moment the last syllable fell from the fish-like demon's mouth, I was in the ring, holding Kurama against me, hands pressing desperately against the gaping wound in his chest. "Becca!" Kuwabara yelled. I heard a swish, felt a small breeze, and looked up.

Maru's blood-splattered sword wasn't even an inch from my head. His dark blue eyes bored into mine, and after a moment, he pulled his sword back. "Too valuable to waste." He aimed his sword at Kurama, and I gave a muffled sound before laying my upper body across his chest. "The demon will die."

"You bastard!" I yelled, tears in my eyes. Kuwabara was standing beside me, the only fighter left on the team besides myself able to battle. "Get away from him!"

The taller demon's lips quirked up. "As you wish. But your time will come soon enough."

"Damn if I care," I snarled, backing off of the ring and dragging Kurama with me. Kuwabara stayed to begin the next match. I thought briefly that it was going to hurt Kurama like hell twice over to have his broken leg hit the ground when Botan came up and took them both. We exchanged looks and carried him away from the ring. I sat on the backs of my legs and put his head on my lap. Botan ran over to Yusuke and Hiei.

"Kurama?" I asked quietly. "Kurama..." I kept my hands over his chest. I wished I could give him some energy, so at least he could heal himself. I wished it as hard as I possibly could and even pretended as though I was. I mentally wished it over and over again, so scared I was shaking and, for the first time in four years, crying. 

"When did Genkai teach you that?"

I looked up at Botan. "Teach me what?" My voice was so shaky I almost didn't recognize it.

"To transfer your ener...Becca?"

"He's dying." 

Suddenly, as though she believed me, her face paled, and she looked sick. "But you're...you're helping him."

I managed a snort. "I'm not enough. Go get Yukina." She was up and running in a heartbeat. As I waited, I sniffed and snuffed, trying to stop my flow of tears. Everything that I'd ever wanted to cry about suddenly came back to me, and the tears I'd pushed away resurfaced. I didn't sob, I didn't wail, I didn't whine, I just cried. Cried and held my hands on Kurama's chest. The only reassurance I had was that I could feel his slow, spontaneous heartbeat as the torn muscle tried to figure out how to glue itself back to together.

Kuwabara fought harder than I'd ever seen him fight, but Maru was too much for him, and the human lost after being out of the ring for ten counts. It was during the count that Yukina and Botan finally arrived, the little koorime looking like she'd seen a ghost and Botan clearly unnerved by whatever had caused their extreme delay. Yukina took my place as 'Kurama holder,' but I swore I saw the fox tilt his head towards me as I moved. Botan went to Kuwabara and used her limited but stronger-than-before healing powers on him as she propped him against the stadium wall.

"If team Urameshi cannot produce a fighter for this round, the win will automatically go to team Itarki!" Juri said, looking at us uncertainly. The pretty demoness was on our side this time around, as was Koto. My gaze shifted uncomfortably to Maru, who was staring at me like a hungry lion looked at a fat rabbit. My heart stopped momentarily. Was I the prize? Was that why Koenma had made such a point about the boys winning? Holy shit. I glanced up at the god's private box, but couldn't see anything through the tinted window. And got angry.

The entire way up there it felt like some weird, demented, out-of-place dream. Yet, even as I was yelled at, I climbed quietly into the ring.

"Becca! What the hell are you doing!" Yusuke practically shrieked.

"Come back!" Yukina pleaded.

"You can't beat Maru!" Hiei shouted.

I looked over at him. "I'm not going to beat him. I'm going to kick his sorry ass."

"You're confident, human," a sickly sweet voice said warningly.

"Human?" I asked coldly. Lord have mercy! What was I doing?

"You are a human."

"I am as much of a human as you are."

His blue eyes narrowed. "You smell like one."

"I've been living amongst them in the Ningenkai and no amount of showers will cleanse the stench," I said, rolling my eyes.

He eyed me skeptically. "He said you didn't know."

"'Ch, of course I know. I played dumb. Demi-gods are such push-overs," I said flatly, crossing my arms. Which made me realize I was covered shoulder-to-thigh in Kurama's blood.

The petite but dangerous demon suddenly looked confused.

"Becca..."

"Kurama!" I whirled around. The poor fox spirit was barely standing, shaking as hard as I had been and clutching at his chest wound. Yukina was trying to get him to lie back down but was actually the only thing holding him up. "Kurama, lie down. You're not strong enough."

"Not until you...get out of the ring."

"Kurama..." I glanced over at Maru. "Lay down." I put an edge in my tone, then glanced over my shoulder pointedly at my opponent before looking back at him with a pleading gaze. _Come on, Kurama...please play along_...

The most torn look I'd ever seen on anything with expressions coated his face before he let Yukina help him back down. I put on a satisfied look and turned to face Maru, who still looked confused. "Well? Let's get this over with," I said lightly, nodding at Juri, who was also puzzled. I unsheathed my sword.

"Oh, right. Let the final match, Maru versus Becca, begin!" Her hand came down, and a wave of nausea passed over me.

I was going to die.

Panicking, I dodged all of Maru's attacks and didn't even try to retaliate. I set myself into a dance, as I had done so long ago with Kurama, twirling and jumping madly. I landed hard on my feet after a jump and turned in time to meet the demon face-to-face. I shrieked and whirled around as his sword came at my neck. But instead of hitting my neck, the blood-stained blade cut something else off.

My thigh-length hair was suddenly a slanted shoulder-length, and I froze, mouth open, as my brown-and-gold locks hit the arena. 

Maru giggled, and there was a flash of light to accompany the disgusting sound.

People like to brag about their most painful experiences to show others up. I had been one of those people until that day. The pain in my lower abdomen felt like...well...I had nothing to compare it to. I'd never been hurt that badly. But I knew humans weren't supposed to survive something that damn painful. 

I hit the ground.

All talented writers described pain as a 'horrible, ripping, sensation that took my breath away and left me in darkness,' but this was more like, quite literally, getting hit by three semi trucks in a row. It was too low to take my breath away, but it did knock the air out of me along with some blood, and had I eaten anything that morning I would've thrown it up. A murderous, burning ache that hurt more with every heartbeat thundered through my abdomen.

I barely heard people yelling my name.

Blood coated my throat, burned my mouth, and trickled over my lips as I coughed, trying to spit the metallic liquid out. I sat up slowly, wobbly, using my sword to lean on. Finding myself eye-level with a pair of legs, I looked up in a daze. Maru lifted his sword. Juri was counting. I noticed a bright patch of light on Maru's legs and realized it came from the reflection of the sun on my sword. Before I knew what I was doing, I twisted my blade and sent the reflection into Maru's eyes. He shouted and backed away, blinking his eyes furiously and rubbing at them with his free hand.

Summoning all nerve and energy, I lept to my feet, swung my sword, and kept plowing even as I felt the disgusting sensation of skin and muscle ripping through my hands. There was a thud, and Maru's head hit the arena. Feeling possessed, I swung at his body, realizing as my sword cleaved through it that it was reacting without the head. I eeped quietly and hacked it into tiny, bite-size bits. By then I was so tired and in such pain that I could barely stand, and my sight was darkening and spinning. I stumbled back, stabbing my sword into the ground blindly for support, and listened to Juri rattle off her count. I noticed that the blood on my outfit was wet, no longer solely Kurama's. My sleeves were stiff, indicating the fox's blood had dried; but the dampness all around my stomach was a double job.

"...ten! Becca is the winner!" She grabbed my wrist and lifted it, and I nearly fell over. She winked at me and tilted her microphone away. "I was rooting for you."

"Thanks." I smiled weakly and stumbled like a drunk off of the arena, literally fell off of it but landed on my feet, and wobbled over to Kurama and Yukina. The ice apparition grabbed me bodily and pulled me down. "No need to get bossy," I mumbled. She held me against her, and I could hear her sniffling. "Or to cry. 'M fine, 'Kina." A hot hand was on my shoulder, and two identifiable voices that were coming closer were arguing over who was going to fight Talera.

The hand tightened, the voices got quiet, and Yukina whimpered as she held me tighter.

A pair of pure black eyes stared into my bluish green-gray ones. "Silly child, to put yourself at such risk," a silken voice whispered. Something burning cold caressed my right cheek. _Woooah. No touchy-touchy, no touch!_ I knew that voice, and my blurred vision accepted the fact that Talera was right in front of me. 

I pushed back into Yukina and brought my right arm up, sword and all.

"Now, now, pet-"

"I'm no one's pet!" I snarled, bringing the sword at the demoness in an awkward, weak manner.

An icy-cold hand, the same one that had brushed my cheek, gripped my wrist. I held fast to my sword, grip never faltering even in my woozy state. "We'll see about that. Your lover is no match for me," she taunted in a dangerously low voice.

I was feeling more awake as the perfect situation for a tongue-lashing presented itself. "One, Yusuke's been pissed off ever since Aiki put him and Hiei in that pen, and you haven't seen him angry; two, even if he does loose, I'll finish off what's left of you; three, go get on a breathmint; and four, if you're so confident you're going to win, fight Yusuke and Hiei." _Ain't I a stinker? There's more than one way to kill a demoness. _

She hissed violently, causing me to make a face, and was gone.

"There's no way she can win," Kurama said in a choked voice.

"Exactly."

"Becca." Yusuke knelt down in front of me, fear and worry shining in his eyes. "Becca, you didn't have to do that."

"Tell me about it. It took me six years to grow my hair out that long," I scolded, closing my eyes and settling back into Yukina's shoulder.

"You could've been killed!" he said, sounding exasperated. "And what was with the 'I'm not human' bit?"

"I know and I don't know. I just felt like confusing him. It worked." I cracked an eye open. "Did you see his face? Priceless. Like someone telling Aristotle the world was round. Besides, it's true, I'm not human, otherwise I wouldn't be here talking to you right now. I'd be in the Reikai pouting."

Yusuke was silent. "Yeah. I suppose...that's true. It...was a big energy blast."

"Heh. Don't think you have to tell me that twice." I coughed a little, and the contraction of my stomach muscles made me shudder involuntarily, even though I didn't directly feel anything. "Hey, get out out there and kick Talera's ass. I don't want my legendary victory to be for nothing, got it?" _As I lay me down to sleep_...

He smiled faintly, but I saw a new wave of worry in his features. "Got it."

..._I pray the Lord my soul to keep_. "Good." I let my eye close. "Tell Hiei to use that dragon of his. That's freaking awesome."

"I will, if you'll watch."

_And if I die before I wake_..."I will. I just need a catnap first."

"I'll tell Hiei to make a motion at Yukina and Kurama, so they can wake you up." He sounded desperate.

..._I pray the Lord my soul to take_. "Roger that, Houston," I mumbled as darkness surrounded me.


	16. When Dreams Come True

One more chapter after this...yay!

Black Wolf Jaganshi Lover - Nope, Becca's not gonna die. Thanks for the review!

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_The blue fox runs around the meadow, chasing a small black dragon, who occasionally lets the canine pounce it. They snarl and growl, but it's all in play, all for show; they care deeply for each other, these two creatures of the Makai. The fox never uses his claws when he jumps on the dragon's back, the dragon never bites or claws at his attacker to get him off. They are aware of only themselves, care about nothing else that may exist in any of the three worlds._

The dragon snorts and disappears, leaving the fox to whimper and whine. It sees me, and its ears perk; it begins to bark, a freakish metallic sound, but it's inviting. He runs to me, five tails wagging, barking and yipping excitedly. It reaches me and whines, ears against his head, and nudges me. It's trying to...trying to...

The black dragon appeared again, only this time, it wasn't playing with its fox; it was chasing down Talera along with the spirit wave. The demoness had nowhere to run as the dragon roared and wrapped itself around her, holding her with its lean body as its head came down, devouring both opponant and spirit wave with frightening power, diving down into the arena and disappearing from view, leaving nothing behind it.

"Did you see that?" That was Kurama, holding me.

"The fox..." I mumbled, inhaling deeply and sitting up better against him. He gave a soft 'hm?' before I continued. "We left the fox by himself...me and the dragon...he's alone."

"The dragon is back, and the fox is happy," he said gently, hugging me. "But he'll always remember the shape-shifter."

"She'll visit sometime, if the dragon doesn't mind."

"The fox would appreciate it, and the dragon wouldn't mind."

I blinked rapidly a couple of times as the dust from the attacks settled and gave a sharp snort, suddenly fully awake. What had I been talking about? Who had I been talking _to_, for that matter?

"I know what this means!" Juri declared. "Since Talera is gone by manner of death, the winners of the final match are Yusuke and Hiei! The winner of the Dark Tournament is Team Urameshi!"

Kurama was pulling me to my feet. The only thing I remembered was a weird dream and seeing the black dragon eat Talera as she got blasted by the spirit wave. As we walked to the arena, I found it was surprisingly easy to move. Kuwabara was not far behind us, and Yusuke grabbed my arm to pull me onto the ring. I fell against him, holding onto him and burying my head in his shoulder. He hugged me tightly.

We released each other as Juri talked, turning off her microphone. The crowd almost drowned out her words as they were made to leave. "The last time you won the Dark Tournament, you wished your teacher, the human psychic Genkai, back to life. Well, the rules have been changed and rearranged so that every member of the team will recieve their own wish. I won't make you say your wishes out loud around each other, but write out what you want on these pieces of paper and return them to me. They'll be processed by the council, and you will be notified of your wish's activation by mail, since you all stay in the Ningenkai." As she spoke, she handed us each a piece of paper and a pencil.

Kuwabara was the first to walk away, then Hiei, then myself. I plopped down, staring at the paper. Here was the chance to turn my life around. I could give up my stupid identity that I didn't even know about. I could return to America. I could be the richest person on Earth, the most powerful being in the Makai. I could be famous and go down in history. But...what I wanted...my throat burned. No...I could never ask her back. I was the one who had found her that night, dead, green eyes still open. Her death was the reason I'd gained my negativity and pessimistic attitude. It was why I was so cold. Tears burned my eyes, as they were prone to do at the mere thought of her. I frowned, sniffed, and smiled faintly.

Then I smirked victoriously. '_Let everything be the way it was before dad got transferred_.'

Oh yeah.

"Sweet," I muttered, getting up and handing Juri my paper.


	17. Home

"Bloody hell!" Every muscle in my body hurt. Of course, they hurt worse _after_ I fell out of my bed, but that was beside the point. I fought with the blankets that pinned me against the bed and finally won. Wincing, I put my elbows on the bed, rubbing my head as I tried to focus on my alarm clock.

At about that time, the damned thing went off, leaving me stranded on the other side of the bed.

I groaned, pulling myself across the bed and slamming my fist on the button. The ear-piercing, shrieking beeps finally stopped, only to be replaced by a knock on my door. I sighed, rolling my eyes up, then called, "Yeah?"

"Can I come in?"

I sat up with another wince. "Of course." The door slid open, and Yukina walked in, looking upset. "What's wrong, Yukina?" She walked over to the bed and hugged me tightly. My eyes bugged at the firey bolts of pain that raced through my body, but I said nothing.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Becca!"

My eyes widened again, but this time in surprise, and I held her. "Don't be upset, Yukina; I'll write to you every week, and I'll call you, too," I assured her. "Maybe I'll even come visit." But it was a lie. I never planned on coming back to this place. Once I left Genkai's, I was done with the Reikai and the Makai. I was done with being some 'legend' that I didn't even know about. 

The lie, however, worked; she pulled back slightly and smiled a bit wider. "That would be wonderful."

I smiled and nodded. Now, to cheer up completely. "How about I let you ride 2K one more time before we leave?"

Her eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly. "Would you really?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course. Go change and I'll meet you down in the barn."

Five hours later I was frowning slightly, watching Koenma. "So, you're saying your excuse -all this time- for me being gone was that I was a private _military_ school?" I was almost mad.

"Yes."

"And you're also saying that four years_ have_ gone by, but you can make it seem like only two?"

"Yes."

"And you can put me back in my house in America and restablish my life there with no problems?"

"Yes."

"And 2K and Tomahawk will be there because the people who bought our house bought them back but have to leave them there?"

"Yes."

"And you're also going to give me those five wishes I never used."

"Y-" he stopped. "That's right. Yes. I will."

"Hope you have a good memory. One, I want a nice house with a huge horse facility near where I live currently. Two, once I get back to America, I want to move there and be able to live there with no real protest from my parents. Three, I want money to _never_ be an issue." I paused. I could make him brainwash me. I could ask him to remove the part of me needed for the legend and give it it to someone else. But I said nothing. "And I'll save the other two for another time."

"Another time," he agreed. Our eyes met, and I knew he knew that I would probably never use them.

A car honked, and I got up. I quickly walked to the door and began to gather up my belongings. I hauled a backpack onto my shoulders, hefted a duffel bag strap over my right shoulder, and grabbed the handle of a rolling suitcase. I opened the door and trotted out to the taxi, throwing all but my backpack into the back of the already-open trunk. I turned around, and the gang stood there. I watched them as I closed the trunk, then returned back to them.

Yukina, Botan, and Keiko were crying.

I hugged them and promised to write.

Kurama's green eyes were sad, and he hugged me so tightly I couldn't breathe.

I reminded him I had the flower seeds he'd given me and would grow them the moment I got home.

Hiei seemed indifferent, and we shook hands. Suddenly my left hand had a mind of its own and lightly touched the headband over Hiei's Jagan. He started, glancing at me uncertainly. My fingers felt warm, and we both jerked back in surprise. His now-free hand touched it tentively, and he seemed to...relax. As though something that had been bothering him was gone. He smiled. Actually smiled. I giggled and suddenly saw what Kurama saw everytime he looked at the little demon. I hugged him, and though he was slightly awkward, he hugged me back.

I straightened and shook hands with Genkai. We had never really gotten along, after all.

I hugged Kuwabara, and I heard him sniff as he hugged me back. He was dense, but he'd always been good to me.

And then I think the world stopped, for when I looked at Yusuke, he was crying. His tears forced mine to shine in my eyes, and we hugged tightly. _Idiot! Dumbass! Don't do this! Don't leave him!_ my conscience screamed at me. But Yusuke loved me enough to understand...he loved me enough to still love me even after I told him we couldn't go on. "I just want what's best for you," I whispered shakily.

"I know. But it doesn't make it any easier."

"I know."

I held him for a moment more, then pulled myself away. I kissed him on the cheek, and he returned it. "Good luck, Yusuke." I glanced at the group of humans and demons, then walked to the taxi. I shut the door and waved back as it took off.

I glanced over at my sister. She was asleep, listening to her music, and I turned off mine. The hum of the jet engine was soothing, but it wasn't enough to entice me to sleep. Not yet. I sniffed and swallowed hard, hugging my stuffed rabbit to me tightly. Tears began to roll down my face, and I closed my eyes.

My heart was breaking, but this time, it was my own fault.

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The end! I have an interlude and a few pages of a second book written to this, but I guess no one liked this one too much, so I doubt I'll post the others. If you do want to read them, just e-mail me or something, but I doubt I'll ever finish the second book. Thanks to everyone who read it this far! Later! 


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